


Loudmouth Brunettes {Steve Rogers has a type}

by Miss_read



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: I can't believe I'm finally writing an OT3 fic, I may put my other fics on hold to focus on this one, I'll add more tags if it gets angsty, Multi, Natasha Romanov is special and needs to be appreciated even more, OT3, Past Bucky Barnes/Natasha Romanov, Smut, Threesome - F/M/M, background clint/natasha - Freeform, hopefully it will be long
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-18
Updated: 2015-03-22
Packaged: 2018-02-26 05:13:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 40,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2639387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_read/pseuds/Miss_read
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Dark hair, know how to hold their own, smart. By what you and my Dad have told me, Bucky’s basically a guy version of Darcy..” Tony teased.</p><p><em> They’d be the perfect couple.</em> Steve thought. The idea shocks him, or how much he wants that to happen shocks him. Either way, he’s shocked.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. When troubles come

Steve Rogers was in love. 

He couldn’t quite pin what it was about Darcy that had him so hooked, but she gave him that feeling in his chest that he had only had once before with Bucky.

It started when he saw her face on a computer screen. He had been working for the last month to help Tony uncover any undercover HYDRA agents that may be working in Stark industries.  
Steve started from the outside and worked his way in, which meant starting at the bottom of the foodchain. The unpaid interns were first, 9 of them were HYDRA. 5 secretaries, 11 security guards. The trend continued, almost every area was seasoned with assassin's all feeding information to HYDRA. 

Eventually, he reached the inner circle of the workers. These were the people Tony trusted the most and had access to the real secret stuff, it would be a shame if any of them had ulterior motives. 

“Up next..” Steve sighed, having had a long day and just wanting to get home “Darcy Lewis.”  
Tony scoffed “Darcy is safe.”  
He frowned “We can’t assume that, Tony.” Steve flicked through her file “Says here she worked for Dr Foster before you. Who’s to say she wasn’t worming her way in?”  
“Have you not met Darcy? She’s really smart, but the world is bubblegum to her.” Tony smirked. 

Steve paused “No, I haven’t met her…”  
Tony raised his eyebrows “Really? Weird.” 

He shrugged and pulled up her photo onto the screen in front of him, immediately regretting not meeting her sooner. Her eyes was what he noticed first, a bright blue-ish green colour like the sea in the middle of the day. She was smiling warmly. Nobody smiles in ID pictures, but she was. There’s a light in her that glows and makes her the most gorgeous thing he’s seen in a long time.

Steve knows it’s shallow of him to think so, but nobody that beautiful could be evil enough to work for HYDRA.

“Let’s move on..” He mutters after a moment, tearing his eyes off her picture to the next file.  
“Are you letting it go because you’re listening to me, or because she’s pretty?” Tony teased.  
Steve wasn’t sure which was worse, admitting Tony was right or admitting that his attraction to her one him over. He decides the latter is less embarrassing. 

He coughs “The second one.”  
Tony barked out a loud laugh “HYDRA agents can be good-looking, Steve. Did you see Laura from accounting? She was like a younger Pepper, but with more..” He gestured crudely to his chest.  
Steve rolled his eyes at the older (Younger? Did the years he was in ice count?) man before moving on to another file. 

+

 

He didn’t officially meet her until 2 weeks later, though he had occasionally (frequently) pulled out her file and look at her picture, as if trying to find out more about her via her face. 

“Captain, there appears to be a situation in Miss Lewis’ office. She is being attack.” JARVIS announced into Steve’s office  
Steve leapt to action, grabbing his shield and speaking to JARVIS through his earpiece as he ran through the halls “Who’s attacking her?”  
“Mr Ian Boothby, Captain. He had relations with Miss Lewis during the events in London.” The AI explained “And he has also appeared in Russia under the alias of Richard Reinoff, a HYDRA agent.” 

That was all Steve needed to hear. Now in full Captain mode, he pushed the idea of this being the first time he saw Darcy in real life to the back of his mind. 

As he entered, Darcy swung a final blow to the side of Ian’s head with what appeared to be a baseball bat. He fell to the floor and she huffed out a small breath. 

Steve stood in the doorway, staring at her for a few moments. If anybody asked, that was the moment he fell in love with her; before she even said a word to him. Having being taken care of his whole life, Steve admired people who could take care of themselves and others and Darcy seemed to be doing a damn good job of doing just that. 

“Do you know who that was?” Steve asked, watching as her eyes snapped up to meet his.  
“My ex-boyfriend.” She replied simply, her chest heaving for breath as she lowered the bat.  
“He’s also an undercover HYDRA agent..” He continued.  
“I got that..” Darcy breathed 

They held eachothers gaze for a few more moments.  
“You play baseball?” Steve asked dumbly, nodding to the bat in her hands.  
Darcy followed his gaze before shaking her head “No. I just get attacked often.” 

Ian began to groan, pushing himself off the ground. Darcy swung the bat again, hitting him right in the ribs. He fell back again. 

Darcy straightened herself out and held the bat over her shoulder “You can take it from here, Captain.”  
“Steve.” He corrected her. He’s only ‘Captain America’ when he’s saving people. Darcy had saved herself.  
“Steve.” She smiled “You can handle this.” Darcy gestured to the man at her feet “I’m going to go get a Donut. I think I deserve it.” 

She wore the same smile he saw in the picture, but it was _so much better_ in real life.  
“You do.” He agreed, smiling back “It’s nice to finally meet you, Miss Lewis.”  
“Darcy.” She corrected.  
“Darcy.” Steve repeated. 

+

“So you fell for her when you first saw her?” Clint asked around a cigarette “While she was beating a guy up?”

Being the Avengers, the team couldn’t exactly have a ‘guys night out’ without being noticed, so they settled for a poker game in the floor that Tony made specifically for the occasion; complete with a Poker table, a bar, dart board, and pool table. The room had quickly filled with smoke from one of Tony’s expensive cigars and Clint’s cigarettes. Bruce didn’t smoke and neither did Steve, but due to their genetic advancements, it had little effect on them. 

Steve grew up with Bucky smoking around him, until he noticed it triggered his asthma when he even smelt like the stuff. So Bucky had formed the habit of only smoking in the morning on the way to work, that way the smell would wear off by the end of the day. 

“Yep.” Steve nodded proudly and eyed his cards. He’d been playing poker since he was a young boy, this was nothing new to him.  
“Bullshit.” Clint took the butt from his mouth and stubbed it out “If girls beating guys up turns you on, you would have gone after Nat a long time ago. And I would have killed you by now.”  
Steve chuckled “Natasha’s different. When I see her, she’d doing her job and she’s damn good at it. But Darcy...She was just defending herself, taking care of herself.” He shrugged “Like, if she had waiting a few minutes, I’d have come to save her. But she took care of herself, and I liked that about her.” 

“Let’s face it, Steve has a type.” Tony teased before taking a sip of his scotch.  
The Captain raised an eyebrow at him “Type? What’s that supposed to mean?”  
“Look at your only 3 romantic encounters. Bucky, Peggy, and Darcy. "Dark hair, know how to hold their own, smart in their own way. By what you and my Dad have told me, Bucky’s basically a guy version of Darcy..” Tony paused “Or he was..” 

Steve paused for a moment. Putting the Peggy matter aside, her began to consider the similarities between his two most serious lovers. Both of them were smartasses, loudmouths, and yet the most caring people he’s ever met. They had the same sense of humour and playful nature. Not to mention their appearance. 

_They’d be the perfect couple._ Steve thought. The idea shocks him, or how much he wants that to happen shocks him. Either way, he’s shocked. 

But Darcy is his. And Bucky _was_ his. Who knows where he was now? Or if he was even the same guy he fell in love with. 

“Earth to Cap.” Clint clicked his fingers infront of Steve’s face to bring him back into reality “We’ve got a game to play. And unless you’ve got two 4’s, Banner beats us all. Again.”

Steve blinked and laid his cards down. Two 4’s. The guys groan. 

+

That night, Steve dreams of Bucky. It’s not the first time that happens, and Darcy understands when he occasionally moans out his name in his sleep. 

He had taken the time when they first started ‘going steady’ as he called it, to sit her down and explain that; Yes, he and Bucky were best friends, always have been, but no, they were not just friends. She held his hands and listened intently to the unfinished and unpublished love story of Steve and Bucky. 

It made her heart sting just a little, but surely his stung more just by telling her so she let it go and held him one it was done. 

Every now and then he’d dream of Bucky. Sometimes they were nightmares; Bucky falling, Bucky killing him on that day on the bridge, Bucky saying he never loved him. But mostly they were dreams of want, recollections of the many times they’d been together.

Tonight, however, Steve wasn’t the subject of Bucky’s attention in his dream, Darcy was. Steve was simply watching as Bucky laid Darcy on the bed, crawling over her with that same cocky grin he always had in bed. He dipped his head between her legs and began kissing at the soft skin of Darcy’s thighs. 

_“Isn’t our girl so soft, Stevie?”_ Bucky murmured, looking over at him. Steve nodded dumbly and Darcy giggled.  
 _“What’s wrong, Baby?”_ She teased _“Cat got your tongue?”_  
Steve opened his mouth to reply, but he couldn’t get any words out no matter how hard he tried.  
 _“Speaking of tongue..”_ Bucky smirked before burying his face between her legs, lucking and sucking in a way that made her twist and turn… 

 

That’s when Steve woke up, his cock making a tent in his sweatpants and his arms wrapped tightly around his girlfriend who was sleeping peacefully, wrapped around him. Steve considered his options. If he woke Darcy up, she’d almost definitely be up for attending to him, but she looked so cute when she slept it would be a shame to wake her.  
He decided to sleep it off and try not to think about the dream too much, as it was a problem he could deal with another time, perhaps in a talk with Sam (avoiding the details, of course). 

However, it became a problem he would have to deal with now when he got a call from Natasha in the middle of breakfast. 

“Steve.” She began, sounding sympathetic already “We found him.”


	2. Still and wait here

Sundays were the best days.   
Monday to Friday were work days, or at least it was for Darcy. Saturdays were out-days. They’d either drive somewhere for the day or stay in Manhattan, either way they’d try to go somewhere new each week and return by the evening to either have a drink with the team or stay at home and watch a movie. 

Saturday’s were fun, but Sundays were the best. They wouldn’t wake up until noon, but remained in bed all day. Steve’s favourite activity is making slow, lazy love to his girlfriend in the warmth of his sheets. All dependant on whether Steve was called for duty or not.

+  
 _Darcy had insisted on waiting the respectable 3 dates before taking him to bed._

_“It’s not that I’m against casual sex or anything, but I kind of want to test my limits when it comes to you” She smiled sheepishly on their first date. It was a month of flirting and blushing since they first met before Steve asked her out after a particularly hard mission._

_“Don’t worry. When I was a kid, girls were still waiting for marriage.” Steve chuckled and tucked his hands into his pockets. He had opted to take her to Coney Island, a place he adored as a child. The light flashed and whirled so much, nobody would be able to see clear enough to tell he was Captain America._

_She brought up the subject of sex when they were at the top of the ferris wheel, when he hand rested on hers, though it was clear it had been on her mind for a while._

_“Jesus, I could never wait that long.” Darcy laughed softly, lacing her fingers with his._

_“Well I can wait for 3 dates.” Steve smiled “What limits do you want to test?”_

_“Well, we can check hand holding off the list.” She nodded to their hands “I just want to see how much I can do while still avoiding the unspeakable urge to sleep with you.”_

_He laughed again “Unspeakable, huh?” Steve ran his thumb over her knuckles “Just so you know, the feeling’s mutual.”  
Darcy mock-gasped, the cart almost halfway down now “Captain America, are you saying that you have basic primal urges? Don’t you have a chastity belt?”  
He rolled his eyes “No, I don’t. I toured with the Howling Commando’s for 6 months. I’m not the blushing virgin that everybody thinks I am.” _

_She raised an eyebrow at him “Really? Was it with the showgirls? Agent Carter?”  
Steve blushed “Peggy and I did have relations...once. But there was always somebody else.”   
Something in Darcy told her that this was not for her to know, not yet. She didn’t say anything. _

_Steve bought her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to it “I’ll explain, one day.”_

+

This Sunday was the worst. He was in the living room when she woke up, fully dressed. Darcy thought this strange, and said as much. 

“Why are you dressed?” She asked from the doorway “It’s weird.”   
“I have to go out.” He said simply, not looking her in the eyes.   
“Are you being called away?” Darcy walked forward. 

Steve glanced up enough to see that she wasn’t wearing pyjama bottoms, just underwear and a shirt with a cartoon character on it. 

“No.. I just don’t want to be here.” He shrugged, then winced at how harsh it sounded. He was slowly crossing the line from stressed to just plain mean.   
“What’s going?” She asked.  
Steve sighed and finally looked up at her face, seeing the concern and worry etched in there.   
“I have to go to HQ for a little while, I’ll be back as soon as possible.” He promised, pressing a kiss to her forehead “I love you.” 

Darcy, firmly understanding the implications of dating a superhero, nodded “I love you too.”

+

He didn’t go to HQ, he went to Natasha’s place. She had given him a key in case of emergency, so he entered without knocking. Steve followed the sounds of voices to the living room, where Bucky and Natasha was sitting on the couch, muttering softly to each other in Russian.

Bucky reaches a hand up and strokes at her cheek gently, she takes hold of his and kisses his fingers. It’s a lot like what Darcy does when Steve’s having a bad day, but there’s more there. Natasha’s not doing it to seduce him, or because she knows it turns him on, she’s just expressing her thanks to him in a very intimate gesture, more intimate that he had ever seen her do before. 

“Я не я” He says to her, tangling his fingers with hers.   
“Вы можете стать новым человеком” She replies.   
“Я люблю его, все еще” Bucky sighed

Steve clears his throat and watches as their eyes snap up to look at him. Confusion, pain, fear, and recognition flash across Bucky’s face all at once. 

“Steve.” He says slowly, but it’s more of a question. His hair is long and hangs over his eyes, but he can still see the beautiful blue-ish sea green. 

“Hey.” Steve breathed out, taking steps forward. 

Bucky stands “I know you.” 

He smiled and keeps walking until they are chest to chest “You do, you know me.” 

“Steve.” Bucky repeated “I love you, still.” 

Then they are kissing. Steve’s not sure who initiates it, but he feels the familiar feeling of Bucky’s lips against his and he feels like he’s home again. 

Then he’s being jerked back by a hand on the back of his collar. 

“Steve has a girlfriend.” Natasha said, bitingly.   
“I have a girlfriend.” He repeated.  
“Her name is Darcy and he loves her.” She continued. 

“I missed you so much.” Steve breathes instead and goes in for another kiss, but is pulled away again.   
“Get out, Steve.” Natasha orders. 

Bucky looked like a kicked puppy “You said he could help me.”   
“Not like this.” She sighed. 

Steve’s in a haze. It’s like the feeling after being hit in the head; the ringing in the ears, spinning vision, general loss of brain function. 

“What do you remember?” He asks.  
“Us. I remember you and me.” Bucky says simply “You were little, but then you were big. And I love you.”   
“I love you too, Buck.” Steve grins. 

If he could see himself, Steve would punch his own stupid face, right in the jaw. Both fortunately and unfortunately, Natasha was there to do it for him. 

Bucky winces as though he’s been hurt too and reaches to touch the wounded area, but Natasha swats his hand away.   
“What the fuck, Nat?” Steve asked, flexing his mouth to make sure nothing was broken. 

“Вы ему боль.” Bucky muttered, staring at her.   
“He has a girlfriend.” Natasha said for what seemed like the millionth time today. 

For the first time in years, Bucky smirked. The same confident, cocky, smartass smirk he used to do all the time back in the day that made Steve feel weak at the knees. 

“But I’m back now.” he stated “She can step down.”   
“No.” Natasha replied sharply “Get out, Steve. Go home to Darcy. Come back when you’re not an idiot.”

"Wait, I need to talk to him." Steve protested "We need to talk."   
"No, Steve." 

 

Before he can say anything, Steve is being pushed from the room, from the apartment, and onto the street. 

Halfway through the journey home, back to his loving girlfriend, Steve realised what he has done. And he wishes Natasha had hit him harder.

+

The second he get's back to his apartment, he's calling out for Darcy. 

"Where are you, Babydoll?" He yells into the living room.   
"I'm in the shower," she calls back "Why don't you come join me?" 

He tears his clothes off and does just that, stepping under the hot stream of water with her. He focusses on certain parts of her; the blue-ish sea green eyes, the dark hair, the pale skin as he runs his hands over her. She's so soft. Not like him. But her eyes are so beautiful and her hair is so dark. 

Steve picks her up by the waist, forcing her to wrap her legs around him as he pushes her into he cold tile wall. She doesn't speak other that the conformational grunt and nod before he slides into her tight, wet heat. He pounds into her, hard, knowing she can take it. He fucks her like he's trying to get something out of his system, gripping onto her soft flesh. He forgets how fragile she is, like a china doll. 

Steve knows she can take it, but he's never pushed her too far, held her too tight or gripped her this hard. Dark bruises form in the shape of his fingertips that will stay for a few weeks. She moans and cries out so he knows she likes it, and he can tell by the look on her face that it's good for her. It's not the best sex they've ever had. He likes to make love to Darcy, using his hands and mouth to build her up and over the edge over and over again until he finally fucks her. Sometimes it's hard, sometimes it's soft. But that doesn't matter because it's long and dragged out and beautiful. 

Their time in the shower barely lasts 10 minutes. She finishes her orgasm with a gentle 'whoa'.

Steve wishes Natasha had hit him harder.


	3. Not Steve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you will be able to tell, I took many of your comments into consideration when writing this chapter to hopefully slightly atone Steve and not making him completely hated, while still keeping him accountable for what went down and what will go down in this story. 
> 
> A large part of this story is that Steve is confused, as one would be if put in this situation. He doesn't understand Polygamy, and only just gets the gist of his own bisexuality. Therefore, it makes sense that being put in this situation would throw him.

Steve didn’t tell Darcy that Bucky was back, but he didn’t go back to Bucky either. 

The day after it happened, when his brain finally fell back into place, he went over what he had done as he pounded a punching bag in a gym. 

The wasn’t him. Steve Rogers did not cheat on his girlfriend, who he loved so very much. No matter who it was, that wasn’t him. 

Upon considering the likeness between Bucky and Darcy, he wondered if he really was that bad of a person to just be using her as a placeholder. 

No. That wasn’t him either. 

Darcy was smart, educated in a way that Bucky could never be. Bucky was all hard lines and firm muscles. Darcy was soft. God, she was soft. The softest thing he has ever seen. 

That’s where she couldn’t be more different from Bucky. She may have seen a lot when it comes to New Mexico and London, but she was still innocent. Darcy managed to balance it; she could look after herself while still managing to try to cheer everybody up by being bright, bubbly and just plain _shining_. Bucky may have looked after him, but he always needed Steve to cheer him up. 

If he could say that he didn’t love Bucky anymore, then he never loved him at all. Steve still loved him so much, but he damn well wasn’t about to leave Darcy. 

He hasn’t fucked her since the time in the shower, feeling horrified with himself to doing such a thing. So he began to spoil her; going down on her for hours on end, buying her things, taking her out on well planned dates to Art Galleries and Gala’s he was invited to as Captain America, but he didn’t fuck her. Not even once. 

Seve felt like he just wasn’t deserving of her, never allowing her to give him the immense pleasure he always got from sex with her because that would be taking something he just wasn’t worthy of. 

Of course, there was no way that would go unnoticed. 

“Steve?” Darcy asked quietly from the doorway of the kitchen on night as he made dinner.   
“What’s up, sweetheart?” He turned to face her. If the tone of her voice didn’t tell him something was wrong, the look on her face sure did.   
“Are we...are we breaking up?” She stared at her feet, shifting nervously from side to side and picking at her nails. 

Steve’s brow creased into a frown and he turned off the stove in favour of giving her all his attention.   
“Why would you think that?” He had been seemingly the perfect boyfriend recently, or so he thought.   
“Well, you’ve been spoiling me...even more so than usual..” Darcy began sheepishly “But when we have sex, we don’t actually have sex. It’s like you don’t want me to touch you or something, ever since that Sunday that you didn’t stay in.” 

Steve didn’t say anything, because he couldn’t think of anything to say. That just made it worse. 

“So if you’re treating me to apologise in advance, stop.” She looked up at him, feigning confidence to hide the pleading look in her eyes “If you’re leaving me, if you’re sick of me or found somebody else, I’d rather you tell me now than trying to have some last hurrah or something. Just man up and dump me.” 

He stares at her for what seems like an infinite time before taking a few steps forward and pressing his lips firmly against hers. She lets out a small sob, and pushes him away. 

“Steve Rogers, you are not getting out of this.” Darcy snapped, pointing a stern finger at him “You answer me right now. Are you leaving me or what?” 

Steve smiles a little, and watches as she visibly relaxes “Darcy Lewis.” He mimicked playfully “I am not leaving you. I am never going to leave you.”  
“Then what’s with the avoidance of actual sex?” She frowned   
“Are you really complaining about me going down on you?” He smirked. Typical Steve, using sarcasm to avoid the problem.  
Darcy smiled and hit his chest lightly “You fucking scared me, you ass.” 

He places his hands on her waist and pulls her close “If you really miss me that much, you don’t have to ask me twice to fuck you on every available surface in this apartment.”   
“That just seems a bit excessive.” Darcy teased, bringing her arms up to drape over his shoulder “I was just missing the intimacy, you know? Like the way you hold me when we make love.”

“Babydoll, all you have to do is ask.” Steve said softly. He felt pretty bad, avoiding the issue like this. But what happened with Bucky was something he was trying to push from his mind, he didn’t want to bring it up.   
“Well, I’m asking you now.” She smiled and held the back of his neck to pull him in close “Steve, I’d like you to make long, beautiful love to me in our bed until the sun rises.” 

His smile widened into a grin “Now, how could I turn down an offer like that?” 

Darcy winked and spun around, walking to the bedroom with an obvious sway in her hips. Steve followed eagerly like a damn dog, because he wanted her. 

The weeks of denying himself the solace that her body brought him were, to say the least, torture. It was if he was paying penance for his act of unfaithfulness. But he couldn’t hold it in any longer, not when Darcy asked it from him and not when he had made her think that he was leaving her. 

Steve decided that night that he never wanted Darcy to feel that way again, as there was no ending it with her because there simply was no end. 

He’d had endings before; When he stopped being Steve and started being Captain America, when Bucky fell from the train, When the plane he was piloting plummeted into the ice-y cold sea.   
He’d been given one last new beginning with Darcy, as he didn’t want the ending to it. 

The next day, after a long night of passionate sex that left even Steve feeling achy and tired, he called Natasha while Darcy still lay naked and wrapped up in their sheets fast asleep. 

“Nat’s phone.” Clint answered, sounding exasperated.   
“She still not talking to me?” Steve sighed, quietly padding out to the living room and shutting the bedroom door.   
“Nope.” Came the quick reply “I’m surprised I’m even talking to ya, Cap. It’s only because Darcy told me that you’ve been spoiling her lately, obviously trying to pay her back.”  
Steve rolled his eyes, of course Natasha told Clint about the kiss so one more person could hate him including himself. 

“Well tell her that I’m really fixed up now, Clint.” He said surely “And I can prove it. By next week, she’ll know how serious I am about Darcy.”   
“I sure hope you’re right, Steve.” Clint sighed, then the line clicked off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your comments last time, they were very helpful. keep them coming so I can improve the story as I go along.


	4. Rules 1&2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Bucky met Darcy, and Darcy met Bucky's dog

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this is just to give Bucky's outlook on things and set a little groundwork for his part in the story. Let me know what you think!

It was almost too easy to find out who this ‘Darcy’ girl was. New York is a big place, with seemingly millions of people in it’s many databases. Not many of them were called Darcy, and not many of them would be in close contact with the Avengers. 

Bucky doesn’t go through the Stark Industries employee’s roster for two reasons. 1) He knew that Steve was looking out for any digital break-ins every since the unearthing of Hydra, and he didn’t want to worry him or have him find out he was snooping. And 2) That particular database was pretty well locked up. He could get through it, but that would require him to look deep into the skillsets he hadn’t used since he was The Soldier. 

The Soldier scared him, so he didn’t go through the Stark Industries employee’s roster. Instead, he looked through the less guarded lists of the residence of Manhattan; Library cards, coffee clubs, boutique discount members. 

He found her on one of the ‘valued donators’ list for a charity that aimed to help the homeless. How fucking charming. Bucky pulled up a picture of her and, yeah, that was definitely something Steve would fall for. 

She was pretty, no doubt. Had to be smart, otherwise she wouldn’t be working for Stark. Big heart, judging by the whole charity thing. She probably had Steve at hello. 

Finding her was simple. She worked at Stark Tower, but she had a routine. For an hour, every day at 5.30, she went into central park with a book. She picked up some sort of drink on her way, sat on the same bench and read until her phone buzzed with alarm and then she went back. On Saturdays, she’s usually doing something different with Steve. 

Bucky learnt quickly not to follow her on Saturdays for two reasons. 1) Steve had a good eye these days. In fact, he always had good eyes. The punk could spot him from a mile away, even through the fug of the 40’s. And 2) It hurt. 

It shouldn’t hurt, Bucky knows that. He’s been gone for a long time.  
Yes, he was still alive and hadn’t aged, but that wasn’t him. That was The Soldier. James Buchanan Barnes had been gone for some time. 

*

Summer hangs soft and fresh in the air of Manhattan when Steve contacts him again, about 2 months after the kiss. He had sent a note through Clint, who smuggled it passed Natalia’s watchful eye to him. 

_I hope you’re doing well. I’m sorry about what happened. I can’t see you right now, but I want you to know that I still love you. Saying that, I’m very serious about Darcy. She’s perfect, Bucky and I don’t want to lose her. I’m sorry. -Steve._

Poor fucker, must have taken him the whole two months to write those six sentences. Bucky didn't want to put Steve through anything else, so he didn't sent a note back 

By then, Bucky had formulated his own routine of following Darcy to the park each day sitting on the grass while she read. She’d never see him while he followed behind on the street, and by the time they got to the park he was just another face in the crowd, so the plan was safe. 

He didn’t know why he followed her. He told himself it was to make sure she was safe, not a HYDRA, and good enough to Steve. Obviously, she was no HYDRA agent or he’d know about it. And she looked like she couldn’t hurt a fly. Bucky found he just liked to watch her, to look at her. 

As the heat rose in the large yet tight city, her clothes lessened. She began wearing shorts that began at her waist line and ended just before mid-thigh. She was so goddamn pale and clearly had copious amounts of sun block on her legs, but she still looked absolutely stunning.

On her way to the park one day, A guy looked at her in a way Bucky just didn’t like.  
Guy’s looked at her all the time since her legs came out for the season, Bucky noticed because he’s used to being the only one watching. They could look, that’s fine. They can’t touch, because that’s not fine. 

“Hey, sexy.” Some sleezy jerk called out, kicking off the wall he was leading against “How ‘bout you walk those gorgeous legs over here?”  
Darcy frowned, stopped, and turned to face him “How ‘bout you go play in traffic, asshole.” 

Bucky snickered. The guy didn’t say anything. Darcy began walking again. 

The guy began following her. And not in the way Bucky was following her. Bucky knew body language and that was the stance of a man with bad thoughts in his head. 

Bucky stops him before he even gets close; coming up from behind and dragging him into an ally by his collar, Brooklyn style.

“You plannin’ on followin’ that girl?” He asked, rolling his shoulders back to emphasise that he was basically twice his size.  
“Come on, man. You heard her. How’s a girl like that gunna walk around in those shorts and get lippy when somebody compliments her?” The guy rolled his eyes  
“Compliment? I don’t think you understand what a compliment is, buddy.” Bucky scoffed and shoved the guy against the wall “You see, she was beautiful. And her legs...wow. But you got shit to say, you gotta follow the rules.” He punctuated his sentence with a sharp jab to the guys abdomen with his flesh hand. Not the metal one, of course. He wasn’t trying to kill the bastard. 

“Next time, you go up to a lady and say ‘Excuse me, ma’am. I just wanted to let you know that you look beautiful today.” Bucky said softly, bending down slightly so he was eye to eye with the doubled over jerk “If she don’t like it, you walk away. But if she wants to talk to you, you stay. Understood?” 

“Fuck off.” The guy groaned.  
Bucky mock-winced “Bad choice a’ words there, buddy.” He threw the guy to the ground hard, before crouching beside him “I’d take you to apologies to her, but I don’t want to have to put her through seeing your ugly mug again. But I’ll be watching you. And the next time I see you talking to a woman with anything less than the respect she deserves....I’ll kill ya. And I’m deadly serious about that.” 

The jerk didn’t respond. Bucky stood up, turned and walked away. 

**

Clint got him a Dog. 

Well, technically, Clint got himself a dog, but is too busy and too lazy to look after one and just wants something to pet every now and then. So he tells Natalia that he bought Bucky a dog as an ‘emotional companion’. 

He’s a chocolate labrador with a soft coat and dark, wide eyes. He’s no pup, but a full grown thing at about 3 years old. Clint got him from a shelter, choosing him over others because the poor thing is half blind in one eye, and Clint is half deaf. Bucky names him Pasha, and that makes Natalia smile. He loves her smile, he really does.

Bucky takes him on walks a lot. Once in the morning, just before his morning run. Then if he goes out during the day, which is unlikely unless Natalia or Clint sent him on errands. Then again when he ‘accompanies’ Darcy to the park.

Pasha is a good dog; goofily happy at all times and willing to go anywhere as long is he is rewarded with head scratches and pets. 

He trots along side Bucky obediently as they made their way through New York about 10 steps behind Darcy, stopping when Bucky stops if he thinks Darcy is about to turn around and spot him. 

At the Park, Bucky lets Pasha off the leash. Usually, the dog sniffs around in curiosity, before craving some sort of affection and returning to Bucky for scratches and a treat. 

One Friday, Bucky lays back on the grass to bathe in the sunlight for a moment as he waits for Pasha to return. He’s smart enough not to take his blue hoodie off in fear of showing his arm, put unzips in a little to get a hit of the cool air. 

When Pasha doesn’t return in his normal amount of time, Bucky cracks his eye open to look for him. And finds him in the worst possible place he could be. 

Darcy has set her book down, and she’s grinning widely as Pasha nuzzles his stupid dog nose against her knee. She scratches behind his ear with one hand and stroked down his back with the other. 

“Pasha!” Bucky calls sharply “Get back here now!” 

The dog turns, whimpers a little before huffing and going back to nuzzling Darcy. 

“It’s okay, really!” She calls over, waving to get him to approach her. 

Bucky hesitates for a moment before taking deep breath and fixing a smile on his face as he jogs over. 

“Sorry about that, He’s a real bozo sometimes.” He said sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck.  
“Don’t worry about it, I love dogs.” She beamed up at him, the shade of the trees making her eyes seem darker, deeper. “What did you say his name was?”  
“Pasha..It’s-uh, it’s Russian.” Bucky explained.  
“Russian, eh?” Darcy looked back down at the dog “хороший мальчик, Pasha. хороший мальчик! ( _Good boy, Pasha. good boy!_ )”

He tilted his head a little. Her accent was terrible, but she got the words about right.  
“You speak russian?” Bucky shifted a little, digging his hands in his pocket.  
“Not at all. One of my friends is Russian. I picked up a few things” She laughed softly. He figured the friend must be Natalia.  
“Your friend go around saying ‘good boy’ often?” He joked.  
“Her boyfriend is surprisingly submissive.” Darcy smirked a little. 

Bucky barked out a laugh that surprised him, and then he realised he was actually smiling, not just pretending to in order to seem normal.  
“Anyways, we better get going.” He said as he clipped the leash onto Pasha’s collar and gave him a gentle tug.  
“Oh, okay.” She blinked “I’m Darcy, by the way.” 

This was the part where he gave his name, but he very well couldn’t introduce himself as James Buchanan Barnes, her boyfriend’s boyfriend (Ex? They never really broke up or anything. But they hadn’t spoken. Ex. Ex-boyfriend). 

Although, the term ‘boyfriend’ was never one used between Bucky and Steve. It seemed Juvenile, not enough. ‘Lovers’ was closer, but still not right. They were in love. Simple. 

It wasn’t simple anymore. 

“I’m Jay.” He nodded with a charming grin “It’s been nice meeting you, Darcy.”  
“You too. Maybe I’ll see you here again.” Darcy said, almost a little hopefully. But that was probably more to do with the dog.  
“Maybe.” Bucky shrugged before gently tugging Pasha once more and exiting the park with his stupid, goofy, bozo of a dog. 

He doubted anything would be simple again.


	5. Truth falls out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The aim of this chapter is sort of to wrap everything up and set up what hopefully will shape the rest of the story. I hope you like it xo

For once, Bucky wasn’t leading Pasha down the street to central park. He had decided to go somewhere new, because frankly he was nervous that he may have to talk to Darcy again and he didn’t know how to feel about her just yet. 

Pasha was walking ahead of him, almost pulling Bucky along to go faster. He decided to go wherever the dumb dog wanted to go, he deserved it after putting up with Bucky dragging him to central park everyday. 

Sadly, where the dumb dog wanted to go was central park. 

When they got there, Bucky just rolled his eyes and unclipped Pasha from his leash. The dog skipped off happily. Luckily, Bucky couldn’t see Darcy anywhere nearby as they had come through a different exit and central park was a big place. 

 

Then he lost sight of Pasha, and had no choice but to go looking for him. 

“Pasha!” He called “Where are ya, buddy?” 

He made his way to the pond, because dogs do that, don't they? They go and splash about in the pond to annoy the crap out of their owners. Bucky spotter a similar dog doing just that, but it was clearly about a year younger that Pasha and didn’t turn it’s head as much to compensate for it’s partial blindeness. 

Bucky sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He knew exactly where Pasha was, he just didn’t want to go there. But he had to, because it’s his dog and he needs Bucky to look after him. 

Though he would never admit it, Bucky missed being needed. He’d always had Steve to look after, and that was kind of nice. The times when He’d hold Steve in his arms after a bad day, or feed him hot soup on cold winters, those were what he lived for because it was the one time when he was doing something good for somebody that deserved it. And boy, did Steve deserve it. 

Sure enough, there was Pasha, huffing happily and grinning as Darcy scratched under his chin. 

“Hey.” She beamed when she spotted Bucky coming over.   
“Hey.” He said back, tucking his hand in his pocket. One was covered by a glove because the whole world knew the winter soldier by the big, metal arm. 

“Sorry about my dog, again.” Bucky reached to tug at Pasha’s collar gently.   
The labrador shied away, tucking himself closer to Darcy.   
“It’s okay, he’s the cutest dog I’ve ever seen.” Darcy cooed 

Pasha perked a little and rested his head on the space beside her on the bench. 

“Are ya sure?” Bucky chuckled “He’s the goofiest thing on the planet. And he’s half blind.”  
“Everybody’s a little broken. Doesn’t make us any less human.” She shrugged. “Or any less dog.”

He blinked at her “Where’d ya get that?”   
Darcy grinned almost proudly “My boyfriend.”

***  
 _Steve stepped into his apartment, barely holding himself up from exhaustion. He gently set down his shield and duffle bag before raking a hand through his hair._

_It had been a long, 3 week mission about 6 months into his relationship with Darcy, and he missed her so much. He missed her to the point where he was aching in his chest and wishing he could just quit everything to be home with her. He wouldn’t of course, he had duties, but it was nice to think._

_He tried to be quiet as he padded through his apartment, knowing Darcy would probably be asleep._

_But then he heard it. And the sound broke his heart._

_Harsh, short sobs filter in from the bedroom and the door had been left ajar. Steve pushed in to find Darcy, her knees against her chest and her arms around her shins, crying violently. He rushes to her side and pulls her into his arms._

_”Darcy, baby. What’s wrong?” His eyes flicker around the room to check for danger “What happened?”  
Her crying intensifies and she fists her hands into his shirt. Steve gently strokes her back and kisses the top of her head.   
“It’s okay. I’m here. Everything is okay.” He mumbled, repeating those words over and over to soothe her. _

_It took a while, but Darcy eventually stops trembling and sobbing enough to speak.  
“The destroyer...he almost killed you..” She hiccuped.   
Steve sighed. The destroyed, the mighty thing that Darcy watched take down Thor with just one hit. It was understandable that she would have nightmares about stuff like that. He in the past had experienced nightmares in which she fell from the train the way Bucky had._

_Still, Steve was a soldier. He could deal with it. She shouldn’t have to._

_Later on, after Steve had fed her some small pieces of fruit and made her drink some water, Darcy sighed out a small laugh.  
“Bet you wish you’d had stayed gone, huh?” She pushed her hair from her face, her eyes stiff red and puffy.   
“No, Doll. I wish I’d never left.” Steve cooed, wrapping his arms around her waist “I hate to think that this happens when I’m gone.” _

_Darcy shrugged “It’s never this bad. But I am a mess.”  
“Hey.” he tucked his fingers under her chin and tilted her face up to look at him “We’re all a little broken, but that doesn’t make us any less human.”_

**

“So, Jay. What do you do?” Darcy asked. They had been conversing for about half an hour and Pasha had long since made himself comfortable on the bench, Bucky did too.   
“I-uh. I was in the army.” He lied “Honourable discharge.” 

“What happened?” She tilted her head, one hand lazily stroking Pasha’s chocolate brown fur “If you don’t mind me asking.”  
Bucky knew the lying was fucked up, so he figured he should say nothing at all.   
“I don’t like to talk about it.” he shrugged. 

“Okay.” Darcy nodded “My boyfriend’s was in the army too. Now he does government stuff.” 

_Well_ Bucky though _that wasn’t a complete lie. But not the whole truth_

They chatted some more, but then Darcy’s phone buzzed like it always did.   
“Duty calls.” She laughed, checking her phone “Actually, it’s my boyfriend.”   
Bucky refused to look at the phone “Oh. Well I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

“Yeah.” Darcy nodded brightly before giving Pasha one last scratch and rushing off. 

 

**

“Steve, you can’t do this until you tell her the truth.” Natasha snapped.   
“Oh my god, Nat. I love her. Isn’t that enough?” Steve rubbed a hand over his face. 

He was sat on the couch, box in hand, while Natasha paced in front of him. 

“No, it’s not.” She pointed a finger at him “She deserves pure honesty. If you love her, why did you kiss him?”   
“Because I was in shock! After DC, I didn’t think I’d ever see him again!” Steve defended “I didn’t even know if he was still alive! Don’t tell me you didn’t feel that when he came back.”

Natasha paused. She knew Bucky way back when. When he trained her, cared for her, even loved her just a little. When neither of them were themselves. 

She didn’t say anything. 

“I love Darcy.” Steve said softly as he stood “I love her so much. What if I lose her, Nat? I can’t lose her.”   
Natasha’s jaw was set “Either you tell her, or I do.” 

Then she was gone.

 

Steve, who was planning on making today the happiest day of his life so far, decided Natasha was right. 

The elevator doors slid open, and Darcy stepped in. 

**

“I know what you’ve been doing.” Natasha said as soon as she stepped through the doors of her apartment.

Bucky was lounging in front of the TV, Pasha taking a little nap by his side. However, When Natasha’s voice was heard, the dog woke up and rushed to her side.   
She softened slightly and gave him a little head scratch before turning her attention to Bucky, who was still watching TV. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He shrugged. Not even a flinch. He was trained too well.   
“You’ve been following her. And now you’re talking to her.” Natasha scolded “Why?”

“I wanted to see if she was worth Steve.” Bucky said simply. Lie.   
“That’s stalking, Bucky. And it’s not right.” Natasha walked closer, desperate for him to see how serious this is “And It’s unhealthy. You know who gets to see if she’s worth Steve? Steve!”

“Steve doesn’t have the best taste.” He grumbled.   
“Why? Because he chose her over you?”   
“Because he chose me in the first place.” Bucky’s eyes snapped up to her “I’m a fucking monster, Natalia, but he still loves me. What does that say about him?” 

Natasha softened again “You’re not a monster.”   
He waved a hand at her and turned back to the TV. 

“You need to leave her alone.” Natasha sighed “He’s really serious about this.”   
“Oh yeah?” Bucky ran a hand through her hair “How’d you know that?” 

She paused, as if contemplating whether or not to tell him. “He’s got a ring.”

 

*

“I don’t know why I did it, baby. It’s just...he was there.” Steve sighed, resting his hand over hers as she avoided eye contact “I didn’t think I’d ever see him again. And then he said that he still loved me...I was in shocked. I wasn’t thinking straight.” 

Darcy didn’t say anything.

“I never meant to do it. You know I never want to hurt you, Darce.” He reached out to cup her cheek, but she moved away “I love you so much. I didn’t think…”

Darcy didn’t say anything. 

“Baby, please talk to me.” Steve’s voice shook and he felt like he had a bullet lodged in his heart that just could be moved until she spoke “Just say something. Anything.” 

“When did this happen?” Darcy finally spoke up, staring down at her lap. 

Steve took in a deep breath “About last month. On the sunday I didn’t stay in.” 

Darcy began to shake and sharply drew her hand away “You kissed him and then fucked me?” She gasped. Then she did look up at him, beautiful blue eyes glazed over and wide with horror “And you kept this from me for a whole month?!” 

He didn’t say anything. He couldn’t. She was right. 

Darcy stood wiped her eyes “I get that our lives aren’t normal Steve. And I understood that you will always still love him…” She trailed off, her voice trembling “But I thought we at least had honestly. I could forgive you for kissing him, I really could. But I can’t forgive you for lying to me.” 

Steve stood “Darcy, I love you. Please don’t...I’ll do anything. Let me make it up to you.” 

A new, fresh look of horror passed across Darcy’s face. 

“That’s why you were so sweet to me! You were trying to make up for being a fucking liar.” She pointed a finger at him “You...You could have told me! I would have understood...I can’t deal with this..” 

Darcy turned on her heel and ran out of the apartment. 

Steve stared at the small box in his hand for a few moments, before brutally tossing it at the wall. The cracked and shattered upon impact, but Steve registered the light ‘clink’ of the ring hitting the floor before he collapsed on the couch and sobbed. 

*

The next day, Bucky took Pasha to central park because it was a Saturday and Darcy spent Saturday’s with Steve so he wouldn’t have to see her or the ring on her finger. 

But she was there, eyes red and face worn from exhaustion. She had the same clothes on as yesterday and clearly hadn’t slept. 

“Hey.” He said softly as he approached her, Pasha leaping to rid her of sadness by nuzzling into her “What’s wrong.”   
“I know who you are.” She said simply, looking up at him “I know that you kissed him. And I know you’ve been following me.” 

Bucky tensed up, his eyes flickering to her hand. No ring.   
“How did you know?” He asked quietly, looking around for no reason in particular.   
“He keeps a picture of you two in our kitchen. I thought you looked familiar.” Darcy mumbled “You’re hairs grown.”

“I didn’t mean to-” He began, but she cut him off.   
“I’m sick of being lied to.” Darcy said with a harshness that made Pasha whimper and shy away from her “Tell me, honestly. Why are you following me.” 

“Because I wanted to keep you safe.” Bucky confessed in a mumble “For him.” 

“Well, I don’t know if you’ve read my file. But I do a damn good job of that myself.” She stood and poked him hard in the chest. He didn’t flinch “And I don’t need super soldiers. At all!” 

Bucky realised the implication of her words. She didn't just mean him, she meant Steve too. 

“Darcy, he loves you.” He sighed “He told me he couldn’t even see me because he loves you too much. And you’re better for him that I could ever be.”   
“But what about me!” Darcy yelled, throwing her hands up in the air “What about who’s good for me! I deserve to be loved, I’m not just here to keep your seat warm, Barnes.”

 

“He takes care of you. I never got that.” Bucky reasoned “Don’t leave him because of something dumb that I did. I thought that I deserved him more than you did. But I was wrong. He needs you, not me. Please, give him another chance.”

 

Darcy took in a deep breath “What about you?”  
“I’ll leave the city, the country.” Bucky replied quickly “I’ll be gone by morning, I swear.”

She blinked “Why are you being so nice to me?”   
“Because the last time I saw Steve as happy as he is with you, well I ain’t never seen him this happy.” He shrugged “And it hurts, because I always wanted what you two have. But I want it for him more.” 

Darcy was quiet for a few moments “I’ll need time to forgive him, if I ever can.”

 

“Just try.” Bucky pleased “I’ll leave you alone, I swear.”

She gave a small smile “You don’t have to leave the city. Just don’t follow me anymore, okay?”

“I tried to stop, but it’s mostly Pasha.” He chuckled. 

The dog looked up at her with wide, worried eyes. 

“Life is short, Darcy.” Bucky added “We both know that. And not much in life is worth much. I know he’s an idiot, but Steve is worth a hell of a lot. And believe me, life with him is making everyday count.”

 

“I know.” Darcy smiled softly “But I need time, and about a thousand apologies.” 

Bucky nodded “Don’t worry, Nat’s going to kick my ass everyday for making you two break up, so we can start there and work our way up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this is what you guys wanted, let me know what you think and any suggestions for improvements for next chapter.


	6. Heartbreak cure Number 1: Natasha Romanov

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha's a little nicer than people think. Just a little. And just for Darcy

Darcy sat in Tony’s apartment alone, silence roaring in her ears making her every breath almost deafening. 

He insisted she stay with him after the fight with Steve. 

“No friend of mine is going to stay in some crappy hotel.” He had said with a shake of his head.   
“I can stay with Jane.” Darcy shrugged.   
“No offence, Darce. But I don’t think seeing your best friend hang around with another blonde super-hunk is going to help you get over Steve.” Tony said bluntly. 

That got her thinking. How was she going to get over him? Could she ever? Is it possible to just turn off love for somebody? Obviously not, because that’s what got them into this mess; Steve’s inability to stop loving Bucky.

She said she could forgive him, but they hadn’t spoken in almost a week now. Tension between everybody ran thick in the Tower. Tony hated Steve, Clint hated Steve, Thor hated Steve, Steve hated himself. 

The only person who didn’t hate Steve was Darcy. And Bucky, of course, but he rarely left his room, not even to walk Pasha. 

Steve took such good care of her when they were together, and she took care of him. It was the realest love she ever felt, but she knew it wasn’t the same for him. He had felt love before, and so it confused him. 

Tony had been doing all he could to keep her happy, but it was a hard task. On a Sunday, when she should be with Steve; lying in bed, touching, feeling, being together, Darcy sat alone on Tony’s too big couch, in his too big apartment, in his too big Tower about 15 floors above her real home.

And on that Sunday, the elevator doors hissed opened and a presence filled the room. A presence that could only be carried by one person. 

“Get changed.” Natasha said, somehow making it sound like both a request and an order.   
Darcy turned and blinked at her “Into what?”   
“Something comfortable and flexible.” She smiled. 

Darcy looked at Natasha’s attire; a black vest and grey sports leggings. Her fiery red hair was pulled back from her face in a loose ponytail. 

“I don’t do exercise.” Darcy said simply, eyeing her warily.   
Natasha chuckled “Don’t worry, I promise you wont break a sweat.” 

*  
Darcy blindly followed Natasha down to the gym, a bit perplexed by why Natasha was steering her away from certain doors, spinning her around when they came to certain windows. 

But Darcy knew why when she heard the sound of slamming, pounding punches through one of the doors to the boxing area of the gym. She stopped, despite Natasha’s insistence that she went on.

Steve was behind that door, Darcy was certain of it. 

The punches were rhythmic, each one harder than the other. Small huffs and grunts could be heard to and Steve was undoubtedly beating out his anger at himself the the punching bag. 

Then there was a clinked of the chain, and the sound of the bag giving in and crashing into the wall.

Darcy panicked for a moment, thinking Steve may step out at any seconds and see her, but her feet seemed glued to the spot and she couldn’t move. 

But then she heard the chain clink again as another bag was hung. The pounding resumed.

“How long has he been in there?” Darcy asked, not taking her eyes off the door as if she stared hard enough she’d see through it and be able to look at him again.

“Everyday.” Natasha sighed “He runs in the morning, for about 4 hours. Then he’s in here for 5. Then he just...sits at home.”  
“Hasn’t he had any missions?” Darcy frowned. 

Natasha shook her head “I made sure Coulson wouldn’t assign him anything. Clint thinks it will be good to get his mind off things. But…” She trailed off.   
Darcy turned to look at her “But what? Isn’t Clint right?” 

The redhead stared, as if deciding on how to word what she’ll say next “I’m scared that if we put him in the field...he’ll do something stupid.”

Darcy’s eyes hardened at that “You’re wrong.” She stated “Steve’s a good soldier, he wouldn’t throw his life away over something like this.”

Natasha pulled her hair from it’s tie and shook it slightly before running her fingers through it “It’s not that. It’s just…” She was struggling to find the words again “When you do what we do, it depends on what happens when you get home..” Natasha explained “Before I started for SHIELD, both Clint and I just threw ourselves into any mission. The main goal is finishing the task, no matter what. And your own body is just collateral damage. Steve was the same before he met you. But then I met Clint, and everything changed. Because I had something to come home to. Steve lost everything, and then suddenly he had you to get back to. And that makes him work just a little bit harder, and a lot better.” 

Darcy was quiet, unable to fathom a good response. 

“Lets go.” she mumbled, and carried on down the hallway.

Natasha led her to what seemed to be a dance studio that she didn’t know was there. The door was always locked, Natasha seemed to have the only key. 

“I don’t dance.” Darcy frowned, before her eyes pinpointed to mats in the the middle of the room.  
“We’re not going to Dance.” Natasha smiled, pulling her over to the mat “We are going to do yoga.” 

Darcy made a face. She wasn’t the most physical of people, and she was sure she couldn’t match up to the bendiness of Natasha Romanov. But she also couldn’t say no to her either, 

They started with the basics, spending a long time in downward facing dog. Darcy felt a little ridiculous with her backside up in the air, and when she looked in the mirror she couldn’t help but notice how graceful Natasha looked. 

“I’m guessing you want to talk about the guys?” Darcy said after a few moments, sagging and sitting down to stop the blood from rushing to her head.   
“Only if you want to talk about it.” Natasha shrugged, slowly transitioning into a childs pose. 

Darcy rolled her eyes “Hows Bucky.”  
“He doesn’t talk anymore. Barely leaves his room. He doesn’t even talk to Pasha.” Natasha said into the mat. 

“I don’t know what I can do about that.” She sighed   
“You don’t have to do anything.” Natasha turned her head to look at her “I honestly don’t think anybody has ever been in this position before, and it’s okay if you’re confused. You didn’t ask for this.” 

“But I told Bucky that I’d find a way to forgive Steve. But I haven’t spoken to him. And now he’s beating himself up over it.” Darcy waved her hand in the general direction of the door, beyond this still, mirrored room that Natasha had bought her to. 

“You don’t have to. You don’t owe him anything.” Natasha sat up straight, her legs crossed perfectly beneath her “You make your own decision, and take as long as you need to.” 

She tilted her head a little “I thought you would want me to forgive him. So he ‘has something to come home to’ or whatever.”  
Natasha shook her head “It’s not use if you’re unhappy with him. You’re part of our family, Darcy. And I care about you.” She paused, looking down at her lap, before looking back up “I’m sorry for not telling you about the kiss. I have no excuse.” 

Darcy smiled and rested a hand on her shoulder “Don't worry about it. Like you said, this is new to everybody. And I really appreciate you talking to me.”  
Natasha smiled back “We’re friends, aren’t we?”   
“Of course we are.” Darcy’s smile widened to a grin “You’re the coolest person I’ve ever met. And the nicest.” She said with a slight teasing tone. 

The redhead narrowed her eyes playfully “God, don’t start telling people that.” She looked in the mirror “But I am pretty cool.”   
Darcy laughed for the first time in a week. 

Natasha positioned Darcy into a half split before lowering herself in a full one and reaching to touch her toes.   
“Why do we have this place anyway?” Darcy gestured to the room around them.   
“I asked Tony for it after what happened in with Loki here.” She explained “When I was trained with the Red Room, we had to be taught discipline first while still keeping our physical fitness up. The easiest way to do that was being taught Ballet. After Loki, I was confused about a lot of stuff; who I was, what my purpose was, even more than I was when I was cleaned.” 

Darcy winced a little. She knew that by ‘cleaned’, Natasha mean the process of being cleared of brainwashing. At least she had the help of Clint, Fury and SHIELD. Darcy wondered if Bucky had ‘cleaned’ himself, and wondered what an ordeal that must have been. 

“I watched the first person that truly care about me, look at me with nothing in his eyes. And it shook me.” Natasha continued “I needed something that I knew well, but not fighting. So it was ballet. I told this to Tony and he added this room when the Tower was being rebuilt. I come here after missions sometimes to clear my head.” 

 

Darcy watched her as she speak, and when her legs began to strain and burn from the position, she sat once more.   
“Must be very helpful. Thank you for letting me see it.” She said softly.   
“It’s the least I can do.” Natasha smiled at her through the mirror “You’re welcome to use it whenever you want. I’ll have JARVIS make you up a key.” 

“Really?” Darcy raised her eyebrows “You sure thats okay?”   
Natasha nodded “I’m sure. And for the record, you’re the nicest person I’ve ever met.” She added

Darcy blushed a little “I’ve heard Coulson’s sweet when you get to know him.”   
“He’s still a hard-ass.” Natasha scoffed.

As they continued to talk and laugh and stretch in a way that she was sure would make her feel sore in the morning, Darcy felt herself feeling lighter as minutes ticked by into hours. 

Unbeknownst to the both of them, Steve had slumped past of his way back from the gym to his empty apartment, when he heard his favourite noise in the world through the door that Clint strongly advised him never to open. Darcy’s laugh, mixed in with a bit of Natasha’s washed over him, making his heart swell and sting at the same time. He walked away, feeling heavier than before. 

Once she dropped Darcy off, glad to see a smile on her friends face, Natasha checked her phone to find a text from Steve on it. 

_I know you hate me right now, but thank you for looking after her. -SR_

Natasha smiled at her phone screen. Okay, maybe she was a little bit nicer than she wanted people to think.


	7. Heartbreak cure Number 2: Tony Stark

“Captain Rogers, Mr Stark is requesting entrance to your floor.” JARVIS announced at about 10.30 pm. 9 days after the breakup. “Shall I let him in.”   
“Tell him to go away.” Steve grumbled, slouched on his couch with a picture of Darcy in front of him.   
“I’m afraid I cannot do that, Captain.” JARVIS replied “He is overriding my command system.”

The elevator doors opened and Tony stepped in.   
“Tony, I appreciate all you’re doing for Darcy. But I really don’t feel like being yelled at right now.” Steve sighed, closing his eyes.   
Tony didn’t reply, just tossed a full pizza box down on the coffee table in front of him and sat beside him.   
“What? Why are you giving me pizza?” Steve frowned.   
“JARVIS told me that you haven’t been eating. And Darcy’s worried sick because you’ve been working out too much.” Tony shrugged “So I’m here to feed you and listen to your problems.”

“Darcy’s worried?” Steve perked, before feeling terrible for finding joy in the fact that Darcy was worried about him. Still, it was nice to know she cared.   
“Yeah, she is. And I’m worried about her.” The billionaire ran his a hand through his hair “So I’ve come to hear you out and see what I can do to help the both of you.” 

“I fucked up, Tony.” Steve groaned, resting his head against the back of the couch.   
“I know.” Tony agreed.   
“They were the only two people I ever really loved, and truly loved me back..” He continued “I never thought I’d have to chose between them, and I really don’t want to..”  
“Ya never heard of polygamy, Cap?” Tony smirked, opening the box and taking a slice for himself

Steve looked at him with confusion in his eyes. Tony sighed “Never mind, continue.”   
He nodded and carried on “But I want Darcy back, so much. I was going to ask her to marry me. I want her to be my wife.” 

“So where does that leave Bucky?” Tony had to ask. There was no use in leaving that loose end.   
“I don’t know, I need to talk to him.” Steve reached forward to grab a slice of pizza “But I just can’t, because what if I end up kissing him again? That’ll really mess up my chances with Darcy.” 

“You know what got you into this mess, right?” Tony raised his eyebrows “You didn’t talk to her about it, and that’s what you need to do. You need to talk.”   
The blonde shook his head “that’s the problem. I have got so much I want to say to her, but it doesn’t make sense all together.” 

Tony shrugged “We can work on a speech later. For now, eat your damn pizza.”   
Steve chewed on the sauce covered dough for a while in silence. After his fourth slice, he spoke up again “I don’t think I’ve even been this confused, Tony.”   
“It’s understandable. I mean, your dead boyfriend came back to life and tried to kill you. Then you got a girlfriend, and now your boyfriend loves you again.” Tony smiled at the ridiculousness of it all “But the question is, who do you love more?” 

Steve frowned at him “I can’t answer that. It wouldn’t be fair to either of them.”   
“Considering your narrow understanding of relationships, it’s your only choice.” Tony shrugged “You’ve got to let one, or both of them go.” 

The thought of it made a knife twist in his heart. Not having either of them in his life, the thought hurt so much, especially since they were both within his reach. 

“I...can't” He murmured “I just can't make that choice.” 

Tony leant forward, resting his elbows on his knees “Okay. Off the top of your head, tell me why you love Darcy.”   
Steve began right away, having answered this in his head many times before “She’s funny. No matter what’s going on around us or where we are, she will always find a way to make me laugh. She’s smart in a way that I never could be, but she’d never stuck up about it. She’s patient with me, explains things that I don’t understand. She’s brave, she can take care of herself, but she’s so soft too. Like if I can just reach out and touch her, everything is okay.” His hand twitched a little, itching to do just that “And she’d beautiful. God, she is so beautiful. Everything about her is stunning.” 

Tony softened a little. He knew Darcy before Steve did and cared about her more than he had anyone other than Pepper. She was, as she was to everyone, a little bit of sunshine and sarcasm to lighten the day. And, as protective as he was on Darcy, he couldn’t deny that the look in Steve’s eye was one only worn by a man smitten. 

“And Bucky, why do you love him?” 

“Because he’s...he’s Bucky. We grew up together. He cared for me when nobody else would, and loved me when I was nothing.” Steve sighed “He’s funny, always has been. He could charm the pants of anyone. He’s the bravest man I’ve ever met. He’s my best friend...But I let go of him a long time ago.” The realisation hit Steve as he said it. He let go of Bucky at his funeral. And, though he still loved him, he let go of him. “But he’s back, and I don’t know how that makes me feel.” 

“But you know that you love Darcy.” Tony added. 

Steve nodded “Yes, I do.” 

“And why did Darcy leave?” 

“Because I kissed Bucky.” 

“No.” Tony snapped, pointing a finger at him “She left because you lied. You didn’t tell her about it, Cap. You need to tell her about things. She would have understood, you know that. If you just go and explain everything to her, she can begin to forgive you.” 

Steve gave a sad smile and nodded “Why do I feel like you’re speaking from experience?” 

Tony shrugged “Because I am. But way, way back in the day. I would never cheat on Pepper.” 

“Well, the love of a good woman, right?” The blonde chuckled. 

“I think it’s more good love in general that makes a man. But that’s only because I learnt the hard way that money doesn’t make the man half as much as I wanted it to.” Tony sighed and stood “You’ll figure something out, Steve.” 

The next day, Tony organised for her and Steve to go on a mission together, to hopefully clear the Captain’s head. Natasha was kept in the dark about it, and was kept occupied by being given the task of keeping Darcy occupied.

It was a long two days, and Tony couldn’t regret his choice more. 

It was meant to be a simple mission, just supervising the extraction of fugitives from a currently neutralised warzone. It was meant to be helpful, let Steve see all the good he did for the world and lift his spirits enough to work up the courage to see Darcy. 

Tony didn’t know there would be children, children that were underfed, injured, crying to be taken to their parents. 

“I’ll find your Mom. I swear.” Steve smiled at one little girl who had previously been wailing, clutching at the blanket she had been given as if it were her favourite toy. She sniffled and looked up at him with wide, hopeful eyes.  
“Thank you, Captain America.” She beamed up at him. 

Another agent took her away and, once he was sure everything else was clear, Steve began searching through the crowds for the girls mother.  
He asked the other fugitives and even the children, they all shook their heads silently. He gave a description of the child, big brown eyes, jet black hair and dark olive skin, nobody had seen the mother. 

“Steve, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” Tony called “We have to go.”  
“I promised a little girl that I’d find her mother.” He explained, not taking his eyes off the crowd “Have you seen a woman looking for her daughter?”   
“C’mere.” Tony steered Steve to the group of children at stood with the girl, patiently waiting to board the quinjet and be taken to safety. “Do you mean that little girl there?” He pointed to her.   
Steve nodded “Yeah, she said she hasn’t seen her for a while. I reckoned she must have got lost in the panic.” 

Tony sighed and ran a hand through his hair “Steve, that group of children are all orphans.” He said slowly “Children of the people who were killed in the shooting four days ago.” 

Steve blinked, and then his eyes glazed over “I promised” He muttered.  
“I’m sorry, man. There’s nothing you can do.” His friend patted him on the back. 

The little girl was lifted onto the quinjet, but not before she spotted him “Captain America! Did you find mama?” Her whole face glowed in hope.  
“I couldn’t, I’m sorry!” Steve called over to her, his voice strained and choked “I couldn’t find her.” 

Her bottom lip wobbled “But you promised!”   
“I’m sorry.” He repeated. She’d trusted him, and he failed her

The quinjet doors slid shut, the girl stayed at the window with tears rolling down her cheeks. Her forehead pressed against the glass. 

“I’m sorry!” He yelled after her, as the jet lifted off the air and took off. 

 

The ride back was silent. Steve didn’t move, just remained seated with his head buried in his hands. Tony tried to shake him out of it, get him to talk, but he wouldn’t say a thing. They returned to the tower, and Tony stayed with Steve all the way down to the floor. 

“Is there anything I can get you to make you feel better, Cap?” Tony asked hopefully as the doors opened on Steve’s floor and the blonde stepped out. 

“The love of a good woman, right?” Steve said bitterly before skulking off to his room. 

 

Tony took the elevator back up to his penthouse, where Darcy was waiting with Pepper to see how the mission went. He gave a small smile to Pepper when she pressed a kiss to his cheek, before looking over to the brunette. 

“Darcy, you’re going to hate me..” He began “But I need you to do something..”


	8. Never seemed so cold

“He had no idea she was an orphan. He’s really torn up about it, Darce.” Tony told her, a touch of pleading in his voice “And he said last night that when he see’s you, he think everything’s going to be okay. But you don’t have to go down there. Just give him a call or something.” 

Darcy is quiet for a moment before shaking her head “No, I’ll go see him. He shouldn’t be alone right now.” 

“Are you sure, Darcy? Because I can send for Natasha.” Pepper suggested with a small frown, ever the mother. 

“No, I’m fine. I’ll be back later.” She offers them a smile before stepping into the elevator.

**  
 _Their first time together was nothing short of magical. Darcy fits perfectly in his arms as he carried her through the apartment, giggling against his lips as she kisses her. They had been in this position before, after Coney island. However, back then Darcy had explicitly stated that she wanted to wait. No, with their third date out of the way, there was no more waiting._

_”Are you sure you want this?” He asked, reluctantly pulling away to look at her._   
_”I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.” Darcy grinned “You?”_   
_”I’ve wanted this since i first laid eyes on you.” Steve breathed_

_They fell onto the bed and began pulling clothes off each other like each garment was on fire. Pressed together, their mouths found each other and they stayed like that for just a little bit longer until Steve was achingly hard and Darcy was embarrassingly wet._

_“Do you have any..you know..?” He asked sheepishly._   
_“I’m on the pill.” Darcy said simply. When met with a look of confusion, she continued “It’s a tablet I take once a day that stops..something. Long story short, no babies.” She smiled_

_At that, Steve carefully slides in, allowing her time to adjust to his size before he begins moving above her. Darcy lifts her hips up to meet his and grins up at him. He grins back, and it’s the happiest moment of his life._

_They move in tandem, rolling from Steve on top to Darcy on top and back again. Between moans and growls, all they could do was grin at each other. When it was over (After about 3 rounds. Steve’s recovery time was unworldly), They lay flat on their backs, chests heaving as they stared up at the ceiling._

_“I think I’m in love with you.” Steve panted, not daring to look over her_   
_Darcy stilled for a few moments before sighing “God, I can’t believe you ruined this so quickly.” She groaned._

 _Steve rolled over onto his stomach, the side of his face pressed against the cool pillow as he frowned at her “I ruined this? How?” Wasn’t the fact that he loved her something that would make it better? What had he done wrong?_

_“You said you love me, right after the first time we have sex.” She rolled over, just as he did, but faced away from him “So you don’t really love me, you just think you do because the sex was good. And now you’ll only love me for that, because you never loved me for anything else.” Her voice was shaky, trembling like she was about to cry. Steve never wanted to hear her voice like that ever again._

_“Hey, Darcy. It’s not like that at all.” He placed a hand on her shoulder “I’ve been in love with you since I first laid eyes on you. When you were beating that guy up. I saw you and I though ‘that is the most perfect woman I have ever seen. She’s beautiful and strong, and she can swing a bat’. I’ve been head over heels ever since.”_

_”Then why are you saying it now? Darcy mumbled weakly_

_“Because I get confused a lot, especially when it comes to feelings. But I feel this connection with you that has got to be love.” Steve explained, rolling her back over onto her back “Because I feel like, if I have you next to me, everything will be okay.”_

_Darcy cracked a small smile “That’s pretty heavy stuff for a third date.”_   
_Steve grinned back “I’m a pretty heavy guy. And I am in love with you. You don’t have to say it back, or even feel it right now. But I just want you to know.”_

_“Well, I know now.” She said softly, pressing a small kiss to his lips before curling into him._  
 _“You gonna be here in the morning, sweetheart?” Steve murmured, holding her close and stroking a hand up and down her back._

_“You going to make me breakfast?” Darcy looked up at him through her eyelashes._  
 _“I hope you like pancakes,” Steve chuckled “Because that’s all I can make, but I make them well.”_  
 _”Then I will be here in the morning.” She smiled, kissed him one last time, and fell asleep._  
*

Darcy stepped into the floor. Her floor, her home. It was dark, empty and cold. It looked as if it had been left vacant for years. 

The hulking, slumped silhouette of Steve sat on the couch. 

“Steve?” She said softly, her voice echoing through the room. He lifted his head.   
His eyes were red ringed and his cheeks were tear-stained. 

“Darce?” He asked, as though he didn’t believe it was really her. Steve reached out for her, every movement begging for her to come closer.   
She walked over and held her hand out to him. he brushed his fingers over her arm for a moment before taking her hand and gently pulling her into his lap.

Darcy curled into him, her whole body relaxing but her mind freezing up at the same time. It felt right to be in his arms again, she missed him, but she hadn’t forgiven him just yet. 

He held her, running his hands over her skin and taking in the softness of her. Steve pressed his nose into her shoulder and let out a shaky breath. 

“I promised her, Darcy. I promised but I failed.” He choked out “I failed everyone.” 

Darcy was no stranger to the amount of pressure put on Steve, but he mostly laid that pressure on himself. In his mind, he had to save everything, and if anything wasn’t saved then it was his fault. 

“You didn’t fail, Steve.” She soothed “There was nothing you could do.” Darcy smoothed a hand over his hair and registered the shiver that took over him at the gesture. 

He looked up at her, deep blue eyes swimming with sorrow. He reached up to kiss her, but Darcy turned her face away. Steve didn’t expect anything else. He didn’t deserve to kiss her lips. He brushed his mouth over her jaw hesitantly. She let out a noise of conformation, and he continued. 

Steve brushed his lips down her neck, collarbone, and back up to her cheek. Not kissing, just feeling the softness of her beneath his mouth to remind him that there was at least one perfect thing left in the world. 

Darcy let herself smile, because the intimacy was nice. More importantly, intimacy with Steve. She was home again, not just on her floor at Stark tower, but in his arms, where she was safe from everything. 

But she wasn’t safe from him, and the pain he had caused her. 

“Steve, I haven’t forgiven you yet.” She sighed. Darcy didn’t want to ruin the moment, but she didn’t want either of them to slip into a false sense of security either. 

He stilled an rested his head against his shoulder “What can I do? Just tell me, anything. I will do anything to make you forgive me.” 

Steve looked up with eyes that would resemble that of a puppy if their wasn’t such fear behind them. 

She smoothed a hand over his jaw “You’re confused. You need to figure it all out.” 

“I did, Tony helped me.” He responded a little too quickly “I want you. I love Bucky, but I let go of him a long time ago. I’ll never let go of you, I don’t want to lose you, ever.” 

Darcy frowned “But you can lose Bucky?” 

“I already lost him. Darce, I don’t know if he’s still the same man I fell in love with. But I know you. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you-” 

“Steve!” She cut off his ramblings “You need to talk to him. It’s not fair. You can’t balance us like this. If you’re going to let him go, you need to get the full picture.” 

His jaw tenses, because she’s right “What if I mess up again, Baby? I can’t lose you.” 

Darcy offered the smallest of smiles to him “This is a difficult situation, I won’t hate you forever if you kiss him again. But if you chose him, you tell me right away. No more lies. Promise?” 

“Darcy, I-” 

“Promise me.” 

Steve sighed and nodded “I promise.” He reached up and stroked his fingers across her cheek “I am so in love with you, Darcy Lewis. And that will never change. You know that, don’t you? I know I messed up, and I don’t blame you for leaving, but I will always love you until my last breath.” 

Darcy nodded and placed her hand over his “I know. And I don’t think there is any way I could stop loving you either. But I may have to try, because I don’t know what’s going to happen. So if I have to get over you, you have to let me.” 

“No. I don’t want that, Darcy. You’re love is all that I want. Don’t take it away from me” He shook his head. 

“I have to go.” Darcy mumbled and began to get up. 

“Stay.” Steve begged “Just for tonight. Please, I need to hold you.”

Darcy nodded, because she wanted to be held. 

They trudged to the bedroom and into the bed that had never seemed so cold. She faced away from him, and he wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his chest to his back. They both felt closer to each other than they had been since she left, and yet further apart than they had ever been in that bed. 

The next morning, Darcy slipped from Steves arms and padded out of the bedroom and quietly as she could. On her way out, she saw the shattered remains of the jewellery boxy on the floor where it had been left, and the ring beside it. She stared, tears filling her eyes and spilling down her cheeks, before stepping over it and running into the elevator. 

**

 _Steve didn’t notice that he was acting differently around Darcy since they had slept together, but apparently he was. He touched her more, for a start. Always brushing his fingers over her shoulders or sliding a hand over her waist when he walked past._

_He was also always closer to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder whenever she was nearby to keep her close, or placing her on his lap when they sat on the couch_

_Even Steve could register how he just couldn’t stop kissing her. it was addictive, intoxicating. Any chance they got, Steve would have his lips on hers, or on her cheek, neck, anywhere he could reach really._

_Steve was in love, and he wasn’t in the business of hiding it._

_The morning after their ninth date (including movie nights and take-out dinners), Darcy walked into the kitchen where Steve was making his, now traditional, ‘post-sex pancakes’, wearing nothing but his T-shirt from the night before._

_“Sorry, babe. But unless you want burnt pancakes, you are going to have to put some more clothes on.” He smirked and glued his eyes to the pan lest he drag her back to the bedroom there and then._

_“You are such a hypocrite.” Darcy snorted, gesturing to his outfit comprised of sweatpants and nothing else._   
_“You complaining?” Steve raised an eyebrow at her_   
_“Not at all.” She hummed and walked over, pressing a kiss to the middle of his back and she wrapped her arms around his waist from behind “In fact, I think I’m in love with you.”_

_Steve froze before his face spread into a grin so wide it hurt “Why do I feel like you’re only saying that because I’m half naked and making you pancakes?” He teased_   
_“Because you’re an asshole.” Darcy rolled her eyes “But do you want to know a secret?” Her voice dropped to a whisper “I’ve been in love with you since the top of the ferris wheel at Coney island.”_

_Steve flipped the last pancake onto a plate before switching off the stove and turning to face her, grin still in place “Guess this means I can’t rid of you, huh?”_

_“You complaining?” Darcy raised an eyebrow at him, beaming right back._   
_He shook his head and pulled her close “Not at all.” Steve murmured before pressing his lips to hers_


	9. Sharing is Caring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy meets Bucky, for real this time.

Steve woke, his arms around nothing and a Darcy-shaped hole in the apartment. He listened out for any indication that she might still be there; the shower running, coffee being made, the TV. 

“JARVIS, where is Darcy?” He called out, keeping his eyes closed.  
“Miss Lewis is in the Penthouse, Captain. With Mr Stark.” JARVIS replied “Would you like me to tell her that you are looking for her?” 

Steve sighed and sat up “No, it’s fine.” He opened his eyes and was faced with the picture of Darcy he kept on the bedside table. 

**  
 _“Why do you have a photo of me there? I’m right here.” Darcy frowned as she tucked herself into her side of bed. She slid her glasses off her face and set them aside, waiting for him to make his home next to her._

 _“Because I love that photo of you.” Steve smiled. It was a lovely photo in his opinion, one taken of Darcy the day she moved in, standing with her arms outstretched and a large grin on her face and the New York sunset behind her. “And I like you to be the first thing I see in the morning, no matter what direction I’m facing.”_

_Darcy rolled her eyes “You are such a sap, Steve Rogers.” She teased and took his hand “Who taught you how to be so romantic?”_   
_”Bucky, mostly.” Steve shrugged “He was a real shot with the ladies, and with me. He could get me to blush with just a wink.”_

_Darcy smiled up at him, glad he could talk about Bucky in a positive light from time to time, rather than dwelling on the darker side of it all. “C’mere.” She opened her arms to him._

_Steve crawled into her embrace and settles down “You can tell me if talking about him bothers you. I mean, he’s still alive and I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.” He murmured, gently stroking over her hair._

_“Well, I’d be a huge bitch for wanting you to pretend that he never existed. And of course you still love him, and it’s fine.” She looked at him through her eyelashes “When you talk about him, you look happy. And I just want you to be happy.”_

_“I love you so much.” Steve grinned, pressing a kiss to her forehead “You make me happy, sweetheart. Don’t you ever forget that.”_

_“I wont, babe.” She mumbled sleepily “You make me happy too.”_

**

Steve stared at the photo as if looking at it hard enough would cause Darcy to come back. Then he began to cry. 

It wasn’t just small shaking of the body as tears filled his eyes. Steve sobbed, heaving, heavy sobs that he had never experienced before, because he had never felt like this before. He didn’t have Darcy, he didn’t have Bucky. He had nothing. 

What hurt the most was that it was hit fault. 

**

“Natasha?” Darcy said into her phone. She had been sitting in Nat’s dance studio for an hour, just thinking and enjoying the quiet before she came to a decision. 

“Darcy? What is it?” Natasha asked “I heard about what happened with Steve last night. Are you okay?”  
“Yeah, I’m fine.” She chewed on her bottom lip nervously “But I’d like to speak to Bucky. For real, I want to talk to him.” 

Natasha sighed “I don’t think that’s best..”  
“I need to. I told Steve that he should talk to him, but I want to first.” Drcy insisted “Please, Nat. I need this.”

 

The line was silent for a moment, nothing but the faint buzzing of the connection filling Darcy’s ears until Natasha spoke up.

“Fine, I’ll set it up. But it’s going to be at my place and Clint and I will be in the next room.” 

Darcy smiled “Thanks, Nat.”

**

Standing outside Natasha’s apartment, Darcy was terrified.

“Can I open the door now?” Clint asked from the other side.  
“Nope, still not ready.” Darcy replied.  
“It’s been 10 minutes, Darce.”  
“Just give me a second!” 

The door opened and Natasha stood on the other side with Clint, who had clearly just been pushed out of the way. 

“C’mon, Darcy. It’s now or never.” She gave a small smile before pushing her into the dining room where Bucky was waiting. Thankfully, he looked as scared as she was.

“Hi.” He smiled. He had cut his hair, or rather had Natasha cut it for him. But he looked less threatening, more like the charming guy she saw in the picture in her kitchen. 

“Hey.” She replied, taking a seat across from him “Just so you know, I’m not here to tell you to back off or anything. I just want you to see me as a real person who’s feeling are being hurt right now, just so you know what’s going on.” 

“I understand.” Bucky nodded. 

“Do you want him to chose you?” She asked 

“I never wanted for him to make a choice like that..” He started, but Darcy cut him off. 

“But he is making that choice, he has to. What I’m asking is if you want him to chose you over me.” She said bluntly “I’ll be honest with you, I want him to chose me.” 

“This isn’t right..” Bucky muttered “It’s not meant to be like this..” 

“What do you mean?” Darcy frowned. “How else is this supposed to go?” 

“Steve doesn’t want either of us to get hurt. I don’t want you to get hurt.” He raked a hand through his freshly cut hair “You’re a great girl. I see why Steve loves you so much. And I always said that I wouldn’t let anything take him away from me. But with you, I don’t mind so much.”

 

“I don’t mind so much either, if I know he’s going to be happy.” Darcy admitted “But I don’t want to go without him. I know I can find a way to forgive him, and when I do...I want to marry him someday.”

Bucky blinked. What could he say to that? That he would never stop loving Steve, even if they were married? 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.” She sighed “That was like..emotional blackmail or something. I don’t want you to feel sorry for me.” 

“I don’t.” 

“And I don’t want you to back off just because I’m getting emotional.” 

“I wont.” 

“So no pity, okay?” 

“Okay.” 

They remained silent for a few moments, just staring at eachother. It occurred to Darcy that she had never thought of him as a real person, just an idea that went from a memory that made Steve happy, to one that threatened her relationship. He was also as handsome as the history books made him out to be, especially when his face softened. But there was a slight numbness in him, something she could never see in herself but sometimes saw in Steve. 

“You’re beautiful, by the way.” He said suddenly. 

Darcy scoffed “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“It’s just...I used to tell girls when they were pretty all the time. And it’s nice to be told that there is something good about you.” Bucky shrugged, smiling a little “And I don’t know much about your personality, yet. But when you smile, you look like you really mean it and I haven’t seen that in a long time. It’s beautiful.”

“If it’s worth anything, I think we could be friends if none of this was happening.” She smiled “Like, if I wasn’t dating Steve and you came so you two could get together without any problems, I think we could have been friends.” 

“I would have loved that, Darcy.” Bucky leant forward in his seat, resting his elbows on the wood of the dining table “I don’t see why it can’t happen now anyway.” 

“Because if he chooses me, you’ll probably hate me. And if he chooses you..” She paused, straightening up “I like to think I’d be able to deal with it, but I know it will hurt.” 

The dining room door opened and Clint stepped in “Darce, Tony’s calling. He also told me you haven’t been eating.” He crossed his arms over his chest. 

Darcy sighed “Can we not talking about this here..” She gestured to Bucky. 

“C’mon, I’m going to take you back to the tower.” Clint nodded his head to the doorway. 

She ran a hand through her hair before standing “Well, thanks for meeting me, I guess. I’m sorry for...everything.” Darcy smiled, deciding to lighten the mood “Shame they didn’t have polyamory back in your day, huh?” She huffed out a small laughed. 

“Yeah..” Bucky said slowly, but he had no idea what that meant “It was nice meeting you.” 

Darcy stepped out of Natasha’s place to find Clint waiting by his car with a disapproving look on his face. 

“Clint, I’m not in the mood right now. Tony’s already lectured me about eating.” She muttered as she got into the care “I’ve just been throwing myself into work, so I forget to eat. That’s it.” 

Clint slid into the drivers seat “I know, Darce. And I don’t want to lecture you, but I want you to take care of yourself just in case..”  
“Just in case Steve chooses Bucky and I’m stuck feeling like this forever?” Darcy finished for him. 

“Just in case you don’t choose Steve. It’s your choice too you know.” Clint started up the car and began the route to Stark Tower “Don’t just fight for him, okay? Fight for yourself and what makes you happy. If that’s Steve, then so be it.” 

“I know what you mean, and I don’t hate Bucky. Is that wrong of me?” She asked. 

“I tried to hate the guy for you, but I get what you’re saying. You’re all in a tough, position. Unless you’re cool with sharing, somebodys going to get hurt.” Clint shrugged. 

Darcy didn’t reply. Was sharing something she could do? Could she share the love of her life, even if she may not be the love of his life? 

She could, she supposed. 

Shame the other two involved were born in a time when sex before marriage was considered insane, let alone multiple relationships. 

Such a shame.

 

**

Bucky spent all night on Natasha’s laptop, searing through website upon website, determined to get a look at this ‘polyamory’ thing Darcy was talking about. 

It seemed simple enough, in this case; Steve would be with Bucky, and Steve would be with Darcy. As far as things were going, Bucky and Darcy would not be together. But Steve and Darcy lived together, which meant there would be nights where either Bucky or Darcy was alone. Unless Bucky moved in with them, which could be imposing. 

Hell, the whole thing was imposing. But it could keep them all happy, if not for a little while. 

“James.” Natalia shook him awake the next morning. She was the only person who called him ‘James’, and he was the only one who called her ‘Natalia’. It would sting from anybody else, but bought a warm sense of familiarity from each other. 

He blinked his eyes open, finding himself slumped over the laptop with an online article titled _”My 2 true loves”_. It all seemed so easy in writing. 

“Steve called.” Natalia explained “He wants to take you out to lunch. Are you okay with that?” 

Bucky nodded “Yeah. I want that.” 

She smiled a little, her eyes flicking to the computer screen “You never were good at sharing, James.” Natalia told him with a teasing lilt to her voice. 

“I know.” He smiled “But I was good to Steve.” 

Natalia nodded silently before turning on her heel to go to the kitchen “He’ll be there at 2. And I think you need to learn to be good to Darcy.”


	10. Restart

Steve had been staring in the mirror for over an hour now. It wasn’t that he was unsure of his appearance, just unsure of himself. 

He was a mess, an absolute mess. No sleep, no food, nobody to talk to. Of course now he had Bucky to talk to, and lord knows how that would go. 

Steve finally looked at the clock, he was due to meet Bucky at Natasha’s for dinner in an hour, which gave him just the right amount of time to recover from what he was about to do. 

*

“Sir, Captain Rogers is requesting entrance to this floor.” JARVIS informed Tony as he was ordering food for himself and Darcy. Usually, it was Pepper’s job but she was out of town and thus left them to actually take care of themselves. 

“What does he want?” Tony asked, glancing over at the balcony where Darcy was standing. he understood that it calmed her to be out there, as the view was the only thing that looked the same as it did in her old apartment. 

“He wishes to speak with Miss Lewis.” The AI informed “He ensures that it will only take a matter of minutes.”

 

“Tell him to wait a second.” Tony instructed before walking out to the balcony and over to Darcy “Hey, Darce. Steve’s here and he wants to talk to you. He says it will only take a minute. Is that okay?” 

Darcy stared out on the horizon, a thick orange line settling over the sitting as the sun began it’s decent. She nodded “Yeah, It’s okay.” 

Tony nodded back and let Steve in “She’s on the balcony.” he muttered, gesturing to the outside “I’ll be right here, if she needs anything.” 

Steve made his way through the extravagant penthouse where Darcy now lived and onto the balcony. He had drawn her on their terrace many times, mostly like this where she was just a silhouette against the darkening skyline. She was so beautiful. 

“Darcy.” Steve spoke up, his voice hoarse. 

She turned to face him and gave him a small smile, but it wasn’t right. It was the smile she gave to strangers, people she didn’t know. Darcy cared for everybody she knew, so if she didn’t know him, she didn’t care. 

“Hey, Steve.” Darcy took a step forward “I heard you’re having dinner with Bucky tonight. Nervous?” 

What was that? What is that? Steve thought. Was she making small talk? Why did it hurt so much? 

“Uh, yeah I am. And I just thought I’d come up here and say Hi before I go. And say that I am so sorry, again.” He said sheepishly, shifting from foot to foot “And I’ve been thinking a lot recently, and I’ve made a semi-certain choice.” 

“Okay..” Darcy nodded slowly. Fear flashed onto her face and stayed there as she was pretty sure he had decided he had chosen Bucky. 

“Right now, I don’t see any future with you and me together, Darcy..” He began. 

Darcy felt like she was going to throw up from just hearing that. She staggered backwards, clutching onto the edge of the balcony. 

“Because I can’t be forgiven by you. There is no amount of apologies or explanations that can make up for what happened. I’m not saying that I’m choosing Bucky over you. I’m just saying that I don’t want you to chose me, because you deserve better.” Steve continued. 

Those were things Darcy had been told over the past few weeks, and had even sometimes told herself. However now, having them being said that way by Steve himself made it feel to real. And it felt like a blunt knife being driven straight through her gut. 

“And I always said that I would give you everything. But I have nothing left to give you, Darce. Nothing that would be worth your time, or worthy of your love. But I do have this.” He held out the ring to her. The ring he was planning on using to make her his wife and bond them together forever. 

It was a thin, delicate thing. Darcy always said she didn’t like rings with huge diamonds sticking out, so he got her a platinum one with three diamonds set into it. 

She choked at the sight of it. 

“I want you to have it, because it’s yours. From the moment I bought it, it belonged to you. I can’t give it back, and I won't give it to anybody else because this ring belongs to nobody but you. And I wont ask you to marry me, because that would be a damn cheap thing to do. But I want you to keep this ring, and know that I love you, I have always loved you, and I always will. Wear it, melt it, throw it off the damn balcony. Do what you want with it, it’s yours.” His voice cracked and shook and so did his hand “But it’s the last thing I can give you that’s worth something.”

Darcy stares at the ring like it’s about to kill her, like if she touched it she would melt into an acidic puddle. 

“Steve, no.” Darcy shook her head “I’m working on forgiving you, I swear I am. I spoke to Bucky. We’re going to let you chose.” 

“No, Darcy. You haven’t been treated right here. I’m not going to dangle you on the edge in the decision.” He took her hand, turned it over, and placed the ring in her palm “So this is me letting you go, and letting you be happy.”

She let out a strangled sob “You make me happy, Steve. I don’t want to let you go. I knew I’d forgive you, I will.” 

He shook his head “You’re just saying that..” 

“I’m not! Ask Natasha, or Bucky, or Tony or Clint.” Darcy said quickly “They all said I don’t have to forgive you but I said that I will. I will, Steve just give me time. Please don’t just give up.” 

“I’m not giving up..” 

“You are! You’re giving up on us.” She snapped, drawing her hand away and clenching the ring in her fist “Even I didn’t give up on us and I’m the one being hurt.   
still love you. Why are you doing this?” 

Steve looked down at his feet. He couldn’t look at her at that moment “Because I’m going to see Bucky tonight and...I can’t make you any more promises. I tried that once and then I kissed him and that’s what got us into this mess. I lied to you. I wont lie to you anymore and promise that I want kiss him again, or sleep with him. You deserve the truth. You deserve better than me.”

Darcy took a deep breath and took a step forward “It’s okay if you kiss him this time, or if you sleep with him. You need to make an informed decision on this. But I still love you. And whether you chose me or Bucky, I will always love you.”

Steve looked up at her, blinked twice “I want you.” 

“I want you too.” She smiled, taking his hand “Speak to Bucky. Then we can figure everything out.” 

His broad shoulders slumped as he relaxed a little. They could figure something out “I wish you and Bucky got a chance to know eachother. I think you’d be really good friends.” 

Darcy laughed a little, but it was weak “I thought the exact same thing…” 

Steve reached out to brush his thumb over her jaw “Thanks for coming the other night. You didn’t have to. But it really made a shitty day a hell of a lot better.”

She nodded “I’m happy to help. Now go, Bucky’s waiting. Tell him I said hi.” 

And then she smiled, a real smile for people she cared about. For him.

 

**

“Try not to look so terrified, Steve.” Clint clapped him on the back as he made his way into Natasha’s apartment “It’s only your long lost dead boyfriend.” 

“Shut up, Clint.” Natasha scolded before turning to Steve “He’s in the dining room. He’s been a lot better since Darcy came to visit yesterday.” 

Steve nodded “Yeah. She tends to have that effect on people.” 

The two gave him a knowing smile before nodding to the dining room door, Bucky on the other side. 

After 3 deep breaths, Steve stepped inside. Bucky was sat at the table, his hand folded neatly over eachother and a laptop closed next to him. He looked up when Steve entered and gave him a warm smile before standing. 

Then they reunited the way they should have. Not the foggy minded kiss, with Steve in shock and Bucky still not fully cleared of his brainwashing. Instead they took two steps towards each other and each pulled the other into a warm hug. 

Steve squeezed him, tucking his face into Bucky’s neck to take in the real presence of his best friend. Bucky chuckled and patted his back. 

“Still not used to you being so big, punk.” He teased.   
Steve huffed out a laugh “Me neither.” 

He pulled back and looked at him. This was Bucky, the Bucky he once knew.

“It’s real good to see you, Buck.” He grinned. 

“I should hope so. It’s been over 70 years.” Bucky countered “I’d offer to catch up, but I don’t remember a single thing. So let’s talk.” 

“Never known you to get straight to the point, Jerk.” Steve took his seat “So tell me, how much do you hate me right now?”   
“Not at all. It was shitty of me to expect you to wait for me.” Bucky shrugged, sitting across from him “But you should know, Darcy’s planning on basically never seeing either of us again if you don’t chose her. Not by choice, though.”

Steve frowned “I feel like you should have started with something else there. Unless you don’t want to be with me anymore.”   
“No offence, Steve. But the last time you were here, you made some bad choices and didn’t take her into consideration.” Bucky smiled a little “But I’ve got an idea. Well, Darcy suggested it...kind of. It’s pretty out there. So you need to shut your big mouth and just listen.” 

Steve laughed “My big mouth? Says you.”   
Bucky grinned and was silent for a moment, just looking at Steve “I’ve missed this.” 

The blonde looked at him. He didn’t understand the weight of it, as he had this sort of playful banter with Darcy all the time. But Bucky had gone without any sort of jovial conversation with a loved one for over 70 years. Steve nodded. 

“Well, Darcy said that it was bad luck that neither of us knew what polyamory was.” He continued “So I looked it up and it basically means when more than two people in a relationship.” 

Steve made a face “How would that work with us? You and Darcy barely know each other.”

“Well, I guess in our case; I’d be with you, and you’d be with Darcy. But Darcy and I wouldn’t be together.” Bucky explained. Admittedly, a small part of him would hope that he and Darcy could forge a friendship during the process. He didn’t want to hurt her. He liked her. 

Steve thought it over “So you’d be...sharing me?” 

“I guess so.” He shrugged “It’s not like we’ll have a schedule or anything.” 

“We’d have to ask Darcy..” Steve said slowly. Honestly, the idea of having both of them seemed perfect. But how would they feel? What implications did it create?

“Of course.” Bucky nodded firmly “And any time she stops being cool with it, I’ll back off. I’m just exploring any options that mean that nobody gets hurt.” 

Steve nodded before pausing and looking Bucky over “You know I still love you, right? You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” 

The brunette smiled “I know, Punk. I love you two, that’s why I don’t wanna do the damage of keeping you away from Darcy. That’s one hell of a girl you’ve got there.”   
Steve grinned “I know.” 

***

Darcy spent the day on the couch, mostly in tears. Tony held her for as long as he could. 

“Hey there, what’s with the tears?” he cooed, smoothing down her hair “You and Steve seemed to end on a good note there, what’s wrong?” 

She didn’t reply, just sobbed into his shirt. 

“Okay. Well you cry all you want, sweetheart.” Tony sighed, patting her back “And when you’re done, and you feel better. I’ll call Pepper and you can talk to her.” 

“He gave me a ring.” Darcy muttered into Tony’s shirt “And he almost gave up on us.” 

“Okay.” he nodded slowly “And how did that make you feel?” 

“I didn’t realise how serious this was. I didn’t think that I would have a future without him.” She confessed “I forgive him. I don’t want to end it between us.” 

“Well, hopefully you wont have to.” Tony smiled and kissed the top of your head “You’re a great girl, Darce. If Steve’s got any sense, he’ll do his best not to let go of a girl like you.” 

Darcy sniffled and smiled up at him “Thanks Tony.” 

“No problem, Cupcake. Can’t have you sad, you’re one of the only people that laugh at my jokes.” He chuckled. 

If Tony Stark could do one thing, it was cheer his friends up. He made a point of ordering her favourite food, putting on her favourite movies and telling as many bad puns as he could to get her to crack a smile. By the time Steve and Bucky got there, after running the idea by Natasha and Clint..twice, she was pretty damn happy. 

“Hey guys.” She greeted them brightly when they stepped in. Her happiness was short lived though when the penny dropped in her mind “You know, you guys didn’t have to come here together to tell me what you chose. A text would have sufficed, that’s how we do it in the future.” 

Steve shook his head almost too quickly “No, that’s not what’s happening. We came here together because Bucky thinks there’s a way for everyone to be happy.” 

Darcy scoffed “What, you two are into polyamory now?” 

“Actually...yes.” Bucky took a step forward “I’m willing to share Steve. If you are.” 

She frowned “I wouldn’t call it sharing. He’s a person, not a toy.” 

Steve shrugged “Maybe not that word, but I’m okay with it. If it means I can somehow have the two people I love most in this world, then I’m all for it.” 

“What do you say, Doll? You wont have to be with me, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Bucky smiled easily. 

Darcy smiled back “You’re lucky I have a hard time saying no to super-soldier’s from the 40’s.” She joked. 

“That a yes?” 

“It’s a yes.” 

Steve watched the exchange dumbly, itching to get his hands on Darcy again after over 2 weeks of being apart. 

“Well, Steve. Are you just going to stand there?” She teased, opening her arms to him “C’mere.” 

He practically ran across the living room of the penthouse and swept Darcy into his arms, holding her tight to him. 

“I’m so sorry, Darcy.” Steve mumbled into her shoulder “For everything.” 

“I forgive you, sweetheart.” She grinned, her body automatically relaxing in his embrace “I missed you so much.” 

“I missed you too.” He breathed, pulling back to gently slot his lips against hers. 

Darcy leant into it, reaching up to comb her fingers through his hair and keep him close for a few moments. When she pulled back, the first thing she did was look over at Bucky, who had the biggest smile on his face. 

“What’re you so happy about, Barnes?” She quipped with a smile. 

“Nothin’. It’s just…” He ran a hand through his hair “I can get used to this.”


	11. Heartbreak cure Number 3: Apple Pie

“Are you sure about this?” Tony asked from the doorway of his guest bedroom that had since become Darcy’s. His arms crossed over his chest and a ‘disapproving dad’ look across his face. 

“It’s going to be fine. I like Bucky, we can work it out.” Darcy shrugged, packing her bag in preparation for returning home “I’d rather this than having him lying to me. I’m okay with it, really.” 

“You know I just want what’s best for you, right?” He sighed, leaning against the door frame “I’m just worried that you might be doing this just because you don’t want to be without him.” 

Darcy straightened up “That’s not it. I want to be happy, and that means being with Steve and burying the hatchet with Bucky. And I want Steve to be happy, and he won't be truly happy with just one of us. So I’m willing to give this a shot.” 

Tony nodded towards the ring that had been sat on her bedside table “What about that?”

She glanced over at it before shrugging “I guess I’ll give it back. He can’t marry me now.” 

“Oh Darcy.” Tony shook his head and walked over to her, taking her head in his “You are setting yourself up for something that’s going to be either very painful, or really good. But I don’t think it’ll be the latter.” 

Darcy smiled sadly at him “I know, but it’s worth a try. And I know you and Pepper are here to catch me if it goes wrong. And to tell say ‘I told you so’.” 

He chuckled “Well, somebody’s got to.” 

***

The bag hit the bed first, then Darcy did “God, it’s good to be home.” She mumbled into her pillow, which smelt like Steve. 

Steve was at a meeting with Coulson at the time, Bucky wasn’t. Bucky was following behind Darcy, feeling a little awkward. 

“It’s a nice place you’ve got here.” He smiled, wanting to get some conversation going that wasn’t about how he was responsible for her previously broken heart. She had called him over, telling him it was important. 

“Yeah. It’s crazy, right? I mean it must be for you guys. Steve told me about how tiny your apartment was.” Darcy smiled back when she rolled over, her hair falling into her face. 

Bucky let out a small laugh, nodding “Oh yeah, that place was a shoebox. It was fine just us, though. And it was high up so Steve wouldn’t choke on the car fumes from the street. But that meant he couldn’t go out often because he couldn’t make it back up the stairs.” 

Darcy sat up and looked him over “Must have been quite a shock to see him all big and muscle-y like he is now, huh?” 

“It was quite the shock.” He nodded again “But it’s still his smile, you know? And his eyes. Those were my favourite parts of him, so he looked the same to me.” 

“Except he now has a rocking body, right?” She grinned and stood up “C’mon, I need your help with something.” 

Bucky blinks at the sudden change of conversation and watches as she walks passed, buzzing with energy, and into the kitchen.

“Steve’s favourite dessert is apple pie, right?” Darcy asked him, going to the fridge where she had dumped a plastic bag filled with ingredients when she entered. 

“Right.” He nodded “His Ma’s apple pie.”

“Well, I like to bake and I’m always making him apple pie. And he loves it but I can never get it just like his Mom.” Darcy continued, unpacking various baking supplies “So I thought that if you and I worked together, we could get it perfect.” 

Bucky smiled warmly at her “That sounds good to me. I don’t know how refined my baking skills are, it’s been a while.” 

“I’m sure you’ve still got it.” Darcy pushed about 6 apples towards him “Cut these up. We’ll make two pies, so you can take one to Clint and Natasha.” 

“Yes Ma’am.” Bucky grinned and got to work. 

Darcy set about making this crusts, kneading and working the dough. 

“C’mon, Doll. But your back into it.” He teased, poking her side lightly as he peeled the the 4th apple. 

She laughed “You are so lucky I have a thing for old-fashioned pet names or I would kick your ass right now.” 

 

“You’ve been spending too much time with Natasha.” Bucky retorted “Getting a little big for your boots. I’m twice your size.”   
Darcy rolled her eyes “Did you not hear about how I got my job? I tazed Thor, the God of Thunder. I can handle you, Robocop.” 

Bucky snorted “Just remember, if you kill me then there’ll be nobody to look after Pasha.” 

“You got me, I care about that Dog too much.” She smiled and set the dough to the side so she could get on to stewing the apples that Bucky had cut up. 

Darcy carefully poured the apple slices into the boiling water and added a spoon of sugar and a spoon of cinnamon.

“Is that all the cinnamon you use?” Bucky asked, tilting his head a little. 

“Yeah, why?” 

“Steve’s Ma used more. Like a spoon and a half more.” He explained. 

Something behind her eyes lit up and she grinned in a way that made Bucky’s chest fill with a sort of warmth. 

“That’s it! More cinnamon!” She chirped, one the verge of jumping up and down from happiness “Okay. That should do it.” Darcy careful added a spoon and a half more cinnamon to the apples and stepped back as though having any more contact with it would spoil the whole thing. 

They then split the dough and carefully lined two tins with it, saving some for the toppings too.

“Thanks for helping me with this, by the way.” Darcy said after a few moments of comfortable silence “I just wanted to make things less weird between us.”

 

Bucky looked at her from the corner of his eye. What was it with this girl? Why was she so eager to make him happy? 

“No problem. I’m glad I could help.” He nodded. 

“And just so you know, I’m cool with all of this. Like, I don’t want you to think to have to hold back when I’m around.” She said, sounding a little nervous “We are both with Steve, so we can both act like it.” 

Bucky was a little taken aback by her forwardness, but nodded anyway “Got it.” 

“And if you ever need space to be alone with him, you just say the word and I’ll fade out, okay?” Darcy saif almost firmly as she reached for the pot containing the apples. 

“Okay.” He repeated “Same for you.” 

Darcy nodded wordlessly. 

Bucky felt a little bit jealous in that moment. Of who, he didn’t know, or ever why. But he was, just a little.

By the time Steve got home, Darcy and Bucky were sitting on the couch with Pasha across both their laps as while the pies were baking, Bucky went to retrieve him from Natasha’s place and bring him to the tower in form of a walk. He had never seen a dog so happy to see somebody as Pasha was to see Darcy. 

“Hey guys.” Steve smiled, looking a little confused to see them both there. He briefly wondered if he was dreaming.   
“Hey babe.” Darcy chirped “Bucky and I made you apple pie.”

“Only one of them is for you though. The other is for Nat and Clint.” Bucky warned. 

Steve rolled his eyes but went to the kitchen where two pies sat on the counter. He breathed in the smell and was filled with a sort of nostalgia of standing in his kitchen, watching his Ma make him a pie with what little money they had to spend, spent on the ingredients.

“Don’t just stand there!” Darcy called from her space on the couch, one hand idly stroking Pasha’s head “Try a slice.” 

Steve did as he was told, cutting a thick slice from one pie and carefully placing it on a plate before taking a bite. He didn’t even try to conceal the vaguely explicit moan that bubbled in his throat as soon as the flavour hit his tongue. 

Bucky barked out a loud laugh “Hear that, Darcy? I think he likes it.” 

“I can tell.” She grinned back. 

Steve stepped back into the living room with the plate still in his hand and a huge, dumb grin on his face. 

“C’mere.” Darcy beckoned him over. He crossed the room and took a seat next to Bucky, gently petting Pasha with his free hand. 

“Say, what’s with the dog?” He asked. 

“Pasha is Bucky’s, but he loves me so I said it was okay that he came over.” Darcy shrugged “That cool?” 

“Course. He’s a cute guy.” Steve smiled before taking another bite of the pie. 

“Well, it’s pretty late..” Bucky shifted in his seat, causing Pasha to whine unhappily “I should get going.”

“You’re welcome to stay the night.” Darcy offered quickly. Maybe a little too quickly. 

He shook his head “Nah, it’s cool. I gotta feed Pasha, and Clint too.” Bucky chuckled a little “But it’s been a fun day.” 

“It has.” Darcy nodded with a warm smile. 

“I’ll see you soon.” Bucky shooed Pasha off their laps and stood before bending down to press a kiss to Steve’s lips. It was a subconscious action, one that just felt right to do. He glanced over at Darcy, checking if it was okay. She merely smiled at the exchange. 

 

After a moment, Bucky took a step to the side to kiss Darcy’s cheek. Her skin was soft and warm under his lips and he lingered for a second longer than he should have before pulling back and clipping a leash to Pasha’s collar. 

“Thanks for the pie.” He smiled. Once he had the pie, he was gone. 

Steve finished his slice and nuzzled into Darcy’s neck, pressing feather light kisses there “Thank you.” He murmured softly. 

Darcy giggled “What for?” 

“For giving me another chance. For trying to make this work. For being so kind to Bucky.” Steve snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her close into the spot where Bucky was sitting “For everything.” 

“You’re welcome.” She smiled, turning to face him “I’m happy. He’s happy, you seem happy.” 

“I am.” Steve cut in “I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.” 

“Then this is working out just perfect.” Darcy continued, pressing a kiss to the side of his head “  
C’mon, let’s get you to bed”

He nods and stands before sweeping Darcy up into his arms, carrying her bridal-style to the bedroom and gently tossing her onto the bed. She squeaks in surprise and laughs all the way there. 

Steve is surprised himself by the amount his hands are itching to touch her, feel her soft skin beneath his fingers and hold her close after been apart for so long. He crawls over her in the bed. 

“I’ve missed you so much.” He breathed, running a hand down her side “I don’t want to be without you ever again.”   
“You wont, Steve.” She said softly “We’re okay now.” 

He nods because she’s right. It may not be the same as before, because there’s still a tiny smudge of distrust between them, and the factor of Bucky in it too. But it’s good, and it feels right. 

They undress each other all the way and then just lie together in their sheets. 

“I missed you too.” Darcy muttered, tucking her face into the crook of his neck.   
Steve tightens his strong arms around her “I love you, Darcy. I always will.” 

She presses a kiss to his shoulder before closing her eyes “I know, baby. I love you too.”


	12. Lay Me Down

Steve wakes up on a sunday to an empty bed.

He panics and wonders if the past couple of days were just a dream and Darcy hadn’t forgiven him and she’s still gone. Steve reaches out to where she was once laying to find it still warm, and carefully scans the room to find her clothes still strewn across the bedroom floor. 

“Darcy?” He called out, his voice booming and echoing off the walls of the bedroom.   
“What?” is the reply from her, coming from the kitchen.   
“Come back to bed.” Steve grinned, glad she was still in the apartment. 

“Christ, can’t a girl make surprise pancakes for her boyfriend on a Sunday without being reprimanded?” Darcy admonished playfully. 

Something in Steve’s chest began to glow that he had been missing since she had left.  
“Not when she should be back in bed.” He countered “I want to cuddle.” 

The bedroom door opened and Darcy peeked her head in “That’s it, I’m alerting the press and telling them that Captain America is a huge sap.” 

“I’m pretty sure they’d all do the same if they had a girlfriend as beautiful as you.” He stated, simply and smoothly. 

Darcy rolled her eyes but with a fond expression “If you’re trying to butter me up to get more pancakes, you’re out of luck because this is all you’re getting.” The door opens a little bit more to reveal Darcy in a tank top and bed shorts underneath a large purple hoodie, holding a plate stacked with pancakes. 

“If you’re here, it’s good enough for me.” Steve grinned, taking the plate from her and watching as she sat down. Something in her expression shifted from happy to nervous, Steve caught it immediately. 

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” He asked between mouthfulls of his breakfast. 

“I want to give you this back.” Darcy dug in her pocket and bought out the ring. Steve choked a little.

“Darcy, no.” He set the plate down “I told you that I want you to keep it. It’s yours.” 

“I know that. And you’re right, it is mine.” She nodded, still holding the ring out to him “But we’re back together. And hopefully we’ll be together for a long time, maybe even forever. And I don’t want this ring to represent the time that we spent apart-”

Steve’s eyes flickered down to the piece of jewellery and stayed there. 

Darcy continued “I want it to be what ties us together forever, when we’re ready to get married.” 

“But I want to marry you now.” He spoke up, not taking his eyes off the ring.

“But I don’t want to marry you now. Maybe later, when we have everything figured out.” She smiled “Because you love Bucky now too, as well as me. And that’s good. We just need to close this door for a little while, just so we can build everything back up again.” 

Steve looked into her eyes and was once again blown away by the pure kindness behind her gaze “I love you.” He states.

“I know.” Darcy grinned “I love you too. Now eat your damn pancakes.” 

They spend the rest of the day the way Sundays should be spent in their apartment. Darcy’s feet barely touch the ground and Steve insists on carrying her everywhere. 

“I can walk, you know.” She giggled as he lifts her to the couch from their bedroom “You just want to show off how strong you are.”

 

“Maybe I just like the way you fit in my arms.” Steve grinned before pausing “Huh, that’s what Bucky used to say to me.” 

“Bet you’d have a hard time fitting in his arms now.” Darcy smiled, refusing to let the mood drop “Now put me down.” 

Steve set her down on the couch and crawled over her “You are so beautiful.” he muttered, running his hand down her side before dipping his head to kiss along her neck. 

“You’re not so bad yourself.” She grinned back, her fingers reaching up to comb through his hair.

“I think I missed this the most” Steve hummed, leaning into her touch. 

Darcy quirked a brow “What? Having me underneath you?” 

He chuckled and shook his head “No. The way you touch me. It’s nice.” 

“Well I guess it’s a good thing I like touching you then.” Darcy laughed softly and, as if to make her point, began running her hands down his back. 

Steve hummed and continued working on her neck, kissing and nipping slightly in a way that he knew made her squirm. 

His hand brushes over the waistband of her shorts, causing the heel of his palm to press against her stomach. 

“Steve.” Darcy breathed. 

He looked up at her, his eyes clouded with an uncertainty she had never seen before.   
“Are you sure? I mean, I can wait it you’re not ready.” He muttered. After what happened with the ring earlier, he wasn’t entirely sure where he stood in terms of their closeness. So he couldn’t marry her, could he still make love to her? 

“I’m sure.” She nodded “I missed you touching me too.” 

“You have no idea how much it’s been killing me to not feel you.” Steve sighed, smoothing his hand over her thigh. There was little muscle there, just a pale expanse of softness. They were probably Steve’s favourite part of her, physically. No scars, no bruises. It wouldn’t be far fetched to say that Steve thought of Darcy’s thighs as pure. All of her was pure to him. He needed that. 

“Then go ahead.” She smiled, cupping his face in his hands “Do what makes you happy.” 

Steve paused and drew back “Darcy, I feel like you’re being a little too thoughtful..” 

Darcy laughed at him “Yeah, like there’s such a thing as ‘too thoughtful’.” She poked his abdomen “And that’s rich coming from you. You’re literally the most thoughtful person on the planet. It’s your superpower.” 

“Darcy, please. Be serious for a moment.” He sighed.

“I think we’ve had enough serious over the last few weeks.” She shook her head, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him back in for a kiss. Steve stayed strong his his position, tucking his chin back and frowning at her. 

“Darcy, I hurt you.” He stated “I really, really hurt you and that’s the last thing I want in the whole world. And I want you to forgive me-” 

“I have forgiven you.” Darcy cut in, a sweet, understanding smile on her face “I know I don’t have to, but I did.” 

“Right.” Steve nodded “But this isn’t just about me, or even Bucky. And you’ve been so sweet to give this thing with him a chance. It’s about you, too. I should be the one making you breakfast, and letting you so whatever you want.” 

Darcy looked down in her lap “I just want you to be happy.”

“I am happy. You’ve given me everything I’ve ever wanted.” He pushed her hair from her face “But do yourself a favour, think about what you want, and what makes you happy. You’re so kind, and patient, and smart, and strong. I know you that you know a better way to deal with this.” 

Darcy is quiet for a very, very long time after that. In fact, Steve thought it was her longest silence apart from when she was sleeping. He keeps his hand on her thigh, drawing soothing circles on her skin with the pads of his thumb while he just waits. And he’s happy to do so. He’d wait another 70 years in ice for Darcy to figure out what she wanted, if that’s it took. 

“Would you mind if we just...cuddled today?” She asked, her voice small “I just don’t think that I’m ready for that just yet…” 

“Of course, sweetheart.” Steve smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead before he gathered her up in his arms to settle her on his lap. 

“Thanks.” Darcy tucked her face into his neck and slowly breathes him “Do you wanna watch a movie?” She mumbled. 

“I’d like that.” He nodded, reaching for the remote “What do you want to watch?” 

“West Side Story.” Darcy replied without hesitation and Steve chuckled.

“Sure thing.” 

The movie rolls on, and the day continues. Darcy begins to feel the safety she once felt in Steve’s arms as they just sit together. 

And that made her happy.


	13. Back in Bed

It takes a week for Darcy to let Steve back in again, and he feels whole once more. 

He was happy to wait that long, however. He could have waited years, but the sooner the better.   
They fall into bed after she comes back from an investment convention with Tony and Jane. It had been a long weekend for her, trying to keep track of both genius’ despite the fact that they take keen interests in 2 separate sections of science and were drawn to separate sections of the conventions

She left with very strict instructions that Steve use the free time to hang out with Bucky, which she punctuated with a wink and a flirty smile. Steve chuckled blushed in response, but did end up calling Bucky over later that evening. 

Steve and Bucky made love for the first time in over 70 years that night, and it wasn’t like anything they had ever done before. They would have to go slow when Steve was little, Bucky being too afraid to break him to really make love to him. Then in the war it was quick, harsh stolen nights, holding their breath so they wouldn’t let lose any moans to be heard by the other commando’s. It was never as deep and thorough as that night.

“Y’know, the commando’s all knew about you and me.” Bucky said as they lay in the soft post-coital glow. They weren’t in Steve’s bedroom though, they were in the guest bedroom. Steve had guided them there, pulling by his belt loops. Bucky noticed, but he didn’t mind. It wouldn’t be right to have sex with Steve in the bed he shared with Darcy while she was away. Not that thought thought of doing just that while she was there hadn’t crossed his mind a few times, but that was his own downfall.

He watched as Steve’s cheeks reddened and he cleared his throat “Uh, really?” The blonde choked out “How?”   
Bucky shrugged “They realised the only reason they’re alive is because you loved me enough to risk your life to come find me. They realised that you loved me.” 

“Love.” Steve corrected him “I love you. And it was worth it.”  
“Alright, don’t get sappy on me.” He chuckled, rolling over on his side with his head pillowed against Steve’s bicep “Save that shit for Darcy, she’ll eat it up.” 

“Whatever, jerk. You love it.” Steve teased, poking him in the side.   
“Maybe. But that’s half the reason they figured us out.” Bucky rolled his eyes “They caught all those little times you would touch me when you thought nobody was looking.” 

“I needed to.” Steve sighed “I needed contact with you to keep me grounded. Remind me that everything would be okay, one day.”   
“And it all worked out, didn’t it.” He offered lightly. 

Steve scoffed “Oh yeah. After you died, came back to life, got brainwashed, then I died and came back to life, then you tried to kill me. Everything worked out just fine.” The sarcasm was thick and bitter in his voice. The injustice of it all was starting to get to him more and more each day. 

Not when Darcy was around, of course. There was no such thing as bitterness when Darcy was in the room. Bucky liked that about her. 

“Shut it, Punk.” he said firmly “I know it;s been crappy, but it’s just fine now. We got eachother, and we got Darcy.” Bucky paused “You’ve got Darcy. I don’t want any complaining from you when you got a girl like that.” 

Steve blinked at his bluntness before nodding “You’re right. I’m a lucky guy.”   
Bucky nodded back “You sure are.”   
“I mean, I get to have the two most beautiful people in the universe.” He smiled.

“You’ve gone soft, punk.” Bucky chuckled “Before you were fragile on the outside but a snarky piece of shit on the inside. Now it’s the other way around.”  
“Whatever.” Came Steve’s reply as he shut his eyes “Love you, Buck.” 

 

“I love you too, Stevie.” He smiled and pressed a kiss to his temple.

*  
The second Darcy get’s home, she’s leaped into his arms and has her lips firmly attached to his.   
Steve’s pretty sure his brain shorts out and all he can think about is getting her into bed and pulling off her clothes to get closer to her skin.

As soon as he does get her in bed, Steve pauses. 

“Are you sure about this?” He breathes. He holds himself up and away from her, even if her lips are pink and kiss-bitten and her cheeks are flushed in the most beautiful way. He will wait. 

“I’m sure, Steve.” She panted, her chest heaving with every breath “I want it all back, how we were. I missed you so much.” 

Steve grinned and dipped his head down to mouth along her neck, marking her slightly because he just couldn’t resist. 

“Did you have a good time with Bucky?” She asked, her voice breathy and thick. 

He made a noise of conformation into her neck but said no more. They could talk later. 

And they did talk, after he pulled moan after moan from her and covered every inch of her body in kisses and sweet nothings. He told her about Bucky, she told him about her time with Jane and Tony, then they fell asleep in eachothers arms.

“Darcy.” Steve whispered the next morning, kissing the underside of her jaw and nuzzling into her sleep-warm skin. “Wake up, baby.” 

“No.” Darcy whined, pouting her lips in a way that Steve found down right adorable to the point where he was almost embarrassed about it. She had her back to him and Steve revelled in the way her dark hair fell down her pale skin.

“C’mon, love.” He chuckled, running a hand up her bare side “Don’t you want to see the sunrise?” 

She groaned loudly, scrunching her nose “Steve Rogers, you better not be waking me before sunrise after you kept me up all night last night.”

Steve laughed “You’re right, I’m sorry.” He snaked an arm around her waist to pull her flush against his chest. 

Darcy giggled as she slid across the sheets “I’m not getting up, but I do appreciate the extra cuddle time.” 

He was about to reply when his phone chirps loudly with a text. 

“Oh my god, who is up this early?” She rolled her eyes, drawing patterns on Steve’s arm. 

Steve squinted at the bright light of his screen “Bucky. He wants to go for dinner tonight.” 

“But I thought you were making me your Mom’s pasta sauce tonight?” Darcy turned her head to look at him. They both knew there would be times like it, in which Steve would have to chose between the two. 

“Yeah.” He sighed “Well, I promised you first.” And he was about to send a text to decline Bucky’s invitation when Darcy’s hand on top of his stopped him.

“Ask him to join us.” She said softly, but with a certainty Steve hadn’t expected. 

“Are you sure?” Steve asked, pressing a kiss to her temple. 

Darcy nodded “Yeah, it’ll be fun.” She smiled. 

He scanned her face for any indication that she was hesitant, or perhaps just being nice. But it was just genuine kindness there. 

“Well, okay then.” Steve sent off a text to Bucky, inviting him to dinner with he and Darcy that night before snuggling down next to Darcy again. 

Yeah, it should be fun.


	14. From Eden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I'm sorry for the long wait I've had to work on my old computer because my laptop is broken.

Bucky was in trouble. And not even the type of trouble he knew how to deal with. There was no target, no mission, no orders or rules or somebody holding a knife to his throat. 

“Natalia.” He said quietly one morning “I need your help.”  
“What is it?” Natasha replied, not lifting her eyes from the morning news paper. 

Bucky was about to explain, when Clint padded in. Natasha’s eyes stilled on a headline and Bucky watched carefully as she tracked Clint from the corner of her eye. His hair was ruffled, his muscles clearly tense and his neck was covered in love bites. Natasha smirked to herself.

“Good night?” Bucky asked, gratefully for the soundproofing Natasha had installed long before he moved in. 

“Great night.” Clint replied with a bright grin. He poured himself a mug of coffee before exiting, running a finger across Natasha’s shoulder as he passed her. She smiled. 

“So, what do you need my help with?” Natasha asked, finally lifting her eyes to meet his. Bucky remembered when he was in love with her. He still loved her of course, very much. But he was once very much in love with her, so he hoped she would understand his predicament. 

“I’m in love with Darcy.” He said slowly. 

Natasha didn’t even flinch. She just closed her paper and sighed “I knew this would happen.” 

Of course she did, Natasha was always 7 steps ahead of everybody else. She probably knew Bucky would fall for Darcy before they even met eachother. 

The two had been spending a lot of time together lately, both with Steve and without. It was mostly Darcy joining him on his midday walks with Pasha, and they went to the pictures a couple of times. Bucky figured he was in love with her when saw in the morning 2 weeks into their odd relationship. Her hair was messed up and her eyeliner had smudged around the lids of her eyes. She was wearing an oversized iron-man shirt that was bought for Steve but was passed on straight to Darcy. It wasn’t that she looked that great, it was just the connotation of seeing her in the morning made him think that he wanted to wake up next to her, and hold her and make her feel safe. 

But she had Steve to do all that.

“What do I do?” Bucky asked. His metal fingers drew circles in the wood of the dining table, the soft scraping noise comforted him just a little. 

“Tell Steve.” Natasha said. It wasn’t a suggestion, it was an order “Communication, remember? Then you tell Darcy.” 

Before Bucky could talk himself out of it, he nodded “Right.” He sent a text to Steve.  
 _Let me take you out for dinner tonight? –JB_

He waited hesitantly. It was early in the morning, and Darcy had returned from her business trip last night, so there was a chance he wouldn’t reply right away. 

_Can’t, making Darcy my Ma’s spaghetti sauce. You should join us. –SR_

James raised an eyebrow at his screen. 

_you sure Darcy wont mind? –JB_

_It was her idea. Be here at 8, wearing something nice. –SR_

Natasha had been watching him exchange texts with Steve “Well?” she asked. 

“He, uh.. they want me to come over for dinner.” He looked up at her, as if waiting for instruction. 

“I can’t walk you through this, James.” Natasha shrugged “Just promise you’ll think before you act?” 

“I promise.” Bucky gave her a small smile. 

**

_“Stevie?” Bucky called as he entered their shitty shoebox apartment in the lower east side of Brooklyn. “I’m home.”  
“I’m just in here.” Steve replied from room that was both their living room and bedroom. The bed was made up of two singles pushed together, so they could be pushed apart if the landlord made a surprise inspection. _

_Bucky threw his bag down and made his way over to Steve at his desk. It was a rickety old thing that Bucky had dragged from the back of the catholic school they used to attend. It was about to be thrown out due to the curse words carved into it._

_“Hey punk.” He grinned at him, leaning over his shoulder to get a good look at what Steve was drawing “Is that Kathy from down the bakery?”_

_“Yeah.” Steve smiled bashfully._

_Bucky leant his chin of Steve’s narrow shoulder. Kathy was a bigger girl and about 6 years older than them, but her mousey brown hair was always perfectly curled and she had one of the most beautiful smiles the boys had ever seen._

_“She bought us up a fresh loaf of bread and a few cookies.” Steve explained “I tried to pay her, but she wouldn’t have it. So I’m drawing a picture of her to thank her. And I’m giving her that drawing I did of the view from the fire escape at sunset.”_

_“But I liked that one.” Bucky pouted._

_Steve chuckled “I can redraw it whenever. Can you give them to her on your way to work?”_

_“Sure thing, darlin’” Bucky drawled before pressing a lazy kiss to Steve’s jaw “Christ, what did I do to deserve a sweetheart like you?”_

_“Shut up, Buck.” Steve blushed, tilting his head away a little._

_“I mean it.” He mumbled against his skin, skimming a hand over his side “You’ve got the prettiest eyes, the nicest smile and the biggest heart. How’d a guy like me get so lucky?”_

_The blonde bit his lip and allowed his eyes to flutter shut “Bucky…”_

_“Spent all day thinking about you.” Bucky continued as he kisses down Steve’s neck and along his collarbone “Couldn’t wait to get home to you.”_

_“Missed you.” Steve breathed. He had a habit of getting quiet when Bucky flattered hi like this._

_“I missed you too, baby.” Bucky smiled “I love you so much, Stevie.”_

_“I love you too, Buck.”_

**

“All right.” Steve smiled, padded fro the kitchen and wiping his hand on a dishcloth “The sauce is in the pot. It just has to cook out for a while.” 

“Smells great, baby.” Darcy called from the bathroom. 

“Why are you in the bathroom?” He asked The door was open, so he peaked his head through. 

Darcy was standing in front of the mirror in just a fluffy white towel that was wrapped around her midsection. She was brushing her hair through as it hug damp around her shoulders. 

“I’ll be ready soon.” She told him with a smile. 

“I thin you should stay like this.” Steve grinned as he made his way to behind her “I mean, you might give Bucky a heart attack. But it’ll be worth it.” 

“Steve, if you had your way I’d never wear clothes.” Darcy teased, looking at him in the mirror. He wore a light blue shirt and dark grey trousers that were more fitted than the slacks he used to wear. 

“You’re right. I’m happy for you to wear as little clothes as possible” He placed his hands on her waist, pulling her back flush against his chest “You’re just so beautiful. I love every inch of you, I wish I could see it all the time.”  
“Oh really?” Darcy raised a teasing eyebrow at him “You sure you want everybody to see how gorgeous your girlfriend is? You might get jealous.”

“Why would I be jealous when I’m the only one who gets to touch you.” Steve curled a large hand around her thigh “And feel you.” He brushed his lips over the shell of her ear as he whispered “And here you scream my name.” 

“Steve.” Darcy breathed out a small laugh, though a bright red blush was creepy up her cheeks “The guests will be arrive in under an hour. I have to get dressed” 

“It’s just Bucky.” He murmured “He’d be more than happy to see you like this. He said you’re the most beautiful girl he’s seen in a long time.” 

Darcy blush reached it’s peak at the thought of Bucky finding her attractive and she looked down. Steve noticed and grinned like an idiot. 

“Do you like that?” He asked carefully “Do you like that Bucky thinks you’re beautiful?” 

“I do.” Darcy nodded. 

“Do you find him attractive?” Steve brushed small circles over her thigh to soothe her, to make the questions less harsh. 

“Is that a trick question?” She scoffed “Of course I do.” 

“And do you love me?” He went back to kissing over her neck as he gently stroked his thumb over her clit. He wasn’t trying to work her up, or get her off. All Steve wanted was to take the pressure away from her confessions because Darcy new that when it came to sex, she could open up to him, while knowing that she could stop at any time. She wasn’t so good at talking about her feelings. 

“of course I love you.” Darcy let her eyes flutter closed “More than anything in the world.” 

Steve stilled his hand, but pushed against her clit “Do you want Bucky?” 

She took a deep breath before giving him the smallest of nods “Yeah, I do.” 

“He’s crazy about you, you know.” He told her, not wanted there to be too heavy of a pause “he looks at you the same way he looks at me.” 

“Steve.” Darcy placed her hand over his, signalling for him to stop “What do we do?” 

“Well, I guess we should talk about it. With him , of course.” Steve shrugged. 

“Okay.” Darcy relaxed “But not tonight, okay?” 

“Sure, Darce.” He smiled, using his free hand to turn her face to press a kiss to her lips “Whatever makes you comfortable.”

“Can you give me a minute?” She asked “I just want to get ready without you distracting me.” 

“You’re the distraction, gorgeous.” Steve chuckled before exiting the room. 

Darcy stared at herself in the mirror for a long moment “What have you gotten yourself into?” She asked her reflection “How did you fall for two super soldiers?” 

Obviously, she got no reply from herself, so Darcy just continued to brush her hair and hoped the night wouldn’t be too much of a disaster.

*  
Bucky arrived at 8:05, mostly because he stopped the elevator on his way up to spend an extra 4 minutes checking himself in the mirror. He wore a light grey button down that strained slightly against his metal arm and a pair or black trousers. Both had been picked out for him by Natalia when he first arrived. 

Clenched in his fist was a bouquet of roses. It was cliché, he knew it, but Bucky had spent the whole day looking for something to give Darcy, and he just had to get them because they reminded him of her lips when she smiled. 

Steve opened the door and greeted him with a kiss, grinning against his mouth. Bucky eyed him warily for a moment. 

“Why do you look like you know something I don’t, Punk?” He asked, though he couldn’t fight the smile on his face. 

“Because you look like you’ve got first date jitters.” Steve teased before looking at the roses “Those for me?” He joked. 

“Shut up, they’re for Darcy.” Bucky rolled his eyes. 

“What’s for me?” Darcy asked, stepping out of the kitchen. She wore a dark purple blouse, tucked into a cream pencil skirt and Bucky felt breathless for a moment as he held the flowers out to her. “Oh Bucky, they’re beautiful. Thank you.” She smiled.

“They reminded me of your smile.” He said honestly, noting how her lips were curved just the same as the petals and were painted the same red. 

“That’s so sweet.” Darcy grinned “If you keep this up, you might find your way to second base.” She joked. 

Bucky laughed “Well that’s motivation if I ever heard it.” 

He followed them in to the apartment. He’d been there plenty of times before but this time was different and they all knew it. 

“So this is a…date?” Bucky asked slowly. 

Darcy thought for a moment “I guess so. If you want it to be.” She shrugged. 

“I do.” He nodded “Do you?” 

She smiled at him “Yeah. But I don’t want to overthink it, you know?” 

“Okay.” Bucky agreed before turning to Steve, who was grinning so wide he looked like his face was going to split in half “and you’re okay with this?” 

“Believe me, I’m more than okay with it.” He replied “I’m going to get dinner.”

 

Dinner was served and the three of them sat around the table. Steve was at the top, Darcy and Bucky facing eachother on either side of them. 

“So, Doll. Tell me about how you ended up here.” Bucky said, swirling strings of spaghetti around his fork “When did you start working for Stark?” 

“Well, after I tazed Thor, then helped him save the world twice.” Darcy said smugly “Jane and I were at a bit of a loose end. She had finished her research, I had graduated from college. I had nowhere to go. Then suddenly, Jane stops answering my calls. At first I thought she had gone off with Thor, but she usually calls me when she does. Then after 2 weeks of worrying, I get a call from Tony.” Darcy paused to take a sip of her drink before continuing “He said that Jane had moved to New York to work at the Tower, and I should do the same.”

“Jane was refusing to work without Darcy here.” Steve added with a smile. 

Darcy shot him a playful glare. “Not refusing, just heavily suggesting that He employ me.” She turned her attention back to Bucky “Anyway, Tony set me up for a little trial run but he said I shouldn’t get too comfortable because he doesn’t really like people.” 

Steve cut in again “But after one day, he fell in love with her just like everybody else did.” He lay a hand over hers. 

“Just like you did, you mean.” Darcy teased “Speak for yourself, babe.” 

“Nah, he’s right.” Bucky smiled easily, as if he wasn’t confessing to being in love with her “Everybody loves you, sweetheart. Even Natasha.” 

“I guess I have a way of getting under peoples skin.” She smiled “But Tony’s more like my father. Well, he’s the closest thing to a Dad I’ve ever gotten. And I am hopelessly in love with Natasha, so it’s good to know that the feeling is mutual.” Darcy joked. 

Steve raised an eyebrow “Oh really, you planning on leaving me for Nat?”

“I don’t need a plan. One day she and I will run off into the sunset and spend the rest of our lives making sweet lesbian love to eachother.” Darcy said with a dramatic flourish of her hands. 

“As much as I support equal rights, I’m not sure I’m okay with Natasha stealing my girlfriend.” He chuckled. 

“But your okay with Bucky stealing your girlfriend?” She rallied. Bucky swallowed thickly, waiting for Steve’s reply. 

“Bucky can share. And when it comes down to it, Natasha could beat me in a fight and whisk you away.” Steve winked over at Bucky, as if to tell him not to worry, and he was doing just fine. 

“Can you share, Bucky?” Darcy asked him. 

“Darling, for your smile I could do just about anything.” He replied. 

She grinned. 

**

They talked through the night, sharing stories and jokes about the people they’ve seen and the places they went to. It was only when Darcy let out a small yawn that Steve looked at the clock. 

“It’s 1am.” He said in disbelief. Because of the serum, exhaustion was never really a problem for him unless in extreme circumstances, he could only assume it was the same case for Bucky. 

“Well, I should go.” Bucky said as he stood “Let Steve get his beauty sleep.” 

“No, Stay.” Darcy caught his hand in hers, his left hand. The one that was cold and hard and not made to be held by something so soft. 

“Should I take the guest room?” He asked. The sensors on the pads of his fingers relayed messages to the nerves in his body. She was warm, her skin was yielding and her grip her little force, but enough to keep him there. 

“I promised you second base, didn’t I?” She smiled a little “I know this is all a little bit confusing, but I’d like you to sleep in our room with us.” 

“Just sleep, okay?” Bucky took her hand and lifted it to his lips “I want to treat you right. It’s going to be complicated, you know that right?” 

Darcy nodded “I know.” She looked back to Steve “but we can handle it.” 

Steve nodded before walking to the bedroom. Darcy followed, pulling Bucky behind her. 

“I don’t have anything to sleep in..” Bucky said as Steve began to unbutton his shirt. Clearly, the blonde didn’t get the ‘just sleeping’ memo and was currently looking at his two lovers like he had something else in mind. 

“Easy on the bedroom eyes, Stevie.” He warned him “Just give me a goddamn shirt.” 

Steve tossed him one of his white shirts and Bucky busied himself with undressing and putting it on a to give Darcy some privacy while she was undressing. Her small hand on his shoulder let him know it was okay to look up. 

She was dressed in a dark purple tank top and white bed shorts. 

“Aren’t you going to be cold?” He asked. 

Her smile widened into a smirk “Having a super soldier wrapped around you is a good source of heat.” Darcy pulled him over to the bed “I have a feeling 2 will be even better.”

Bucky sat down on the bed and stared up at her. Steve had changed into a pair of sweats and nothing else, looking like he just stepped off a Greek vase. He wrapped his arms around Darcy’s waist from behind, nuzzling his nose into her neck. 

“So are you saying you only stay with me because I keep you warm at night?” He smirked against her skin. 

“No. I stay with you because you’re a good kisser and you make me laugh sometimes.” Darcy smiled, turning her head to catch his lips in a searing kiss. 

Bucky’s mouth went dry and he shifted. The whole ‘just sleeping’ thing was getting less and less appealing. Darcy, as if sensing his discomfort, pulled away from Steve. 

“Enough, we’re going to sleep.” She announced, rubbing her eyes a little. Steve picked her up and laid her down on the bed with little protest from Darcy because his strength was one of her favourite physical attributes of him. He positioned himself on the other side of her before reaching over and tugging Bucky to lie down before he pulled the sheets over the three of them. 

“Thank you for inviting me over.” Bucky said softly “And for making this so easy for me. I’m…I’m not good at talking about stuff anymore.” 

“You seemed to do a good job of talking tonight, didn’t you?” Darcy smiled, running her fingers over his bicep. His right arm, the one that could appreciate her touch. 

“Yeah, I did.” He smiled back. His eyes flickered to her lips. There was still a faint tint of her lipstick there, but most of it was word by her cup. 

Darcy brushed her lips over his. It was barely a kiss, but it was enough for Bucky to know that it was okay to kiss her. He press forward and slotted their lips together, his hand coming up to rest on her wait. His palm was pressed to a small section of skin that was exposed and he groaned against her lips at how soft and smooth it felt. 

Steve rested his hand on top of Bucky’s, which he was thankful for. It was like an anchor, stopping him from floating away. Darcy’s lips, full and plump as they were, followed his movements in tandem almost lazily for who knows how long. They only broke apart when Darcy’s exhaustion betrayed her and she let out a yawn. 

“Sleep, Doll.” Steve smiled, pressing a kiss to her cheek and pulling her flush to his chest with an arm underneath her. “You can make time with Bucky in the morning.” 

“Yeah.” Bucky nodded, though his voice was a little bit rougher than he intended. 

“Do I get a kiss?” The blonde raised a teasing eyebrow with him. Bucky rolled his eyes, but leant over Darcy to lay one on Steve. 

It wasn’t as gentle as Darcy’s, probably because Steve knew it would be short and wanted to get his money’s worth. It wasn’t long before they got carried away, Steve reaching up to bury his fingers in Bucky’s dark hair. That was when Bucky stopped him, curling a hand around his wrist. 

“Jesus Christ.” Darcy breathed from beneath and between them “That was hot.” 

Steve chuckled against Bucky’s lips before pulling away and looking down at his girlfriend “You’ve seen us kiss before, Darce.” 

“Well yeah.” She shrugged, her cheeks flushed “But never while being squished between you like this, with you holding me.”

“Well we’ll do it again when we’re all fully awake.” He smiled before settling back down. 

Bucky lay down too, but Darcy wasn’t satisfied with the gap between them. 

“C’mere.” She muttered before pulling him in closer. Her legs intertwined with his and their forehead were almost touching. “Is this okay?” 

“Yeah.” He nodded “it’s perfect.” 

Darcy smiled before closing her eyes “Goodnight, Boys.” 

“Goodnight, Darce.” Steve grinned. 

“Goodnight, Darcy.” Bucky echoed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! I have a pretty good idea of where this is going so I'm pretty excited about it.


	15. Sleep

Steve is packing his bag when Bucky stirs. The first thing he feels is Darcy’s warm, soft body in his arms and he grins. She’s so small and fits perfectly in his embrace, nuzzled against his chest. His left arm is warmed by her body heat. He flexes it slighted to adjust the metal plating before looking over at Steve. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” He asked, leaning up just a little. 

“Coulson is calling Natasha and I out.” Steve replied, picking up his shield “Hostage situation in Syria. And we’ve got to evacuate fugitives.” 

“Well, can’t argue with that.” Bucky shrugged. He was about to say more when Darcy shifted against him and muttered in her sleep. His heart skipped a beat when he realised we finally got what he wanted; to wake up next to her. 

“I should wake her up.” Steve said, kneeling on the bed “She doesn’t like it when I leave without saying goodbye.” He reached to her and stroked a hand down her arm. “Darcy? Wake up, Sweetheart.”

She huffed and her brows furrowed “No.” Darcy mumbled, hiding her face in the crook of Bucky’s neck. Bucky wondered if she even knew it was him, but it was obvious that she did by the way she reached up to touch his left arm. 

“Baby, I have to go on a mission.” Steve said softly, before pressing a kiss to the back of her neck “But Bucky’s here, and he’ll take care of you, okay?” 

“More like she’ll take care of me.” Bucky chuckled, before looking up at Steve “And you take care of yourself. Don’t come home hurt.” 

“Yes, Sir.” Steve smirked before pressing a quick kiss to his lips, then his attention was on Darcy again “Goodbye, Darce. I’ll be back as soon as I can, I promise.” 

Darcy rolled over to place a lazy kiss to his lips “Love you.” She mumbled against his mouth

“Love you too. Both of you.” Steve smiled when he pulled away. Then he straightened up, swung his bag over his shoulder, and went to go and meet Natasha.

Bucky’s arms tightened reflexively around Darcy’s form as he watched Steve walk away before looking down at her. 

“So what do we do now?” He asked, drawing his arms off her. 

“That question is way too heavy for this time of morning.” She pressed her nose into her shoulder to hide her face “I need coffee before I can answer that.”   
“Darce..” Bucky sighed, smoothing a hand over her hair. 

“Okay, okay. Fine.” Darcy rolled out of his embrace, kneeling up to face him “I think should...hit pause on you and me until Steve gets back.” 

“Okay.” He nodded “Whatever you want, Darcy. As long as you’re comfortable.” 

“So by pause I mean, stay exactly how we are. We’re friends, but I have feelings for you. I get freaked out when I sleep alone, so it might be nice if you stay here in the apartment with me.” She was speaking quickly, all in one breath as if to get it out of the way as soon as possible “But no sex, okay? Not until Steve gets back and we can figure this all out.” 

“No sex.” he echoed with another nod “Can I still kiss you?” 

That got a giggle from her “Yes, you can. And cuddling is totally allowed. Just keep your hands someplace decent.” She pressed a kiss to his lips before hopping out of the bed and skipping off to the kitchen. 

*

Bucky tried his best not to pout when Darcy was leaving for work, but it was a failed attempt. 

“Can’t you just stay with me? I’ll get Pasha, bring him over.” He asked hopefully, catching her by the waist and she walked past him, bringing her into his chest. 

“You super soldiers are all the same.” Darcy teased wriggling in his grasp “I have to go to work, but I’ll see you at lunch, okay?” 

“Can’t Tony tale care of himself for one day?” Bucky rolled his eyes. 

“Contrary to popular belief, I don’t just spoon feed Tony his breakfast. I’m his lab assistant.” Once free of Bucky’s hold, Darcy grabbed her bag “And I may not have a degree, but you learn a few things when constantly taping together Jane’s machines.”

“I know, Darcy.” He sighed “I just wanted us to spend more time together, you know?” 

“And we will, at lunch when we walk Pasha like we always do.” Darcy smiled and kissed the pout off his lips “I’ll see you later.” 

“See you later, Darcy.” Bucky gave her hand one last squeeze before letting her go. 

**

Tony’s work was interrupted around 1 by a nudging at his legs.

“I said no dogs in the lab.” He huffed, shooing Pasha away. 

“Then why are you in here?” Darcy teased, crouching down to scratch the top of Pasha’s head “Besides, he’s better behaved than you are.” 

“It’s not a good idea to mock the guy who signs your paycheck, Darce.” Tony pointed a screwdriver at her with a playful scowl. 

“Pepper signs her paychecks, Tony.” Bucky smirked as he sauntered in, leaning against one of the many workbenches in the lab “I think she uses a stamp.”

“Read the sign, Barnes.” Tony muttered, nodding to the door where a scrappy piece of paper with the worlds ‘NO SUPERSOLDIERS IN THE LAB’ were written in scrawly capitals. 

Bucky chuckled “I’m guessing there’s a story behind that.” 

Darcy nodded “When Steve had time off, he used to hang out here. And that was completely fine.” 

“But then he started dating Lewis.” Tony cut in “And suddenly he can’t keep his hands to himself,  
And we had work to do, so I banned him.”

Bucky laughed at that. Steve always was a handsy son of a bitch. He just loved touching the people he cared for and he loved being touched just as much.   
When he was smaller, Steve’s favourite place was in Bucky’s arms, curled against his chest where he could feel all of him. Now he was no different. 

“Well I was told to keep my hands someplace respectful until Steve gets back.” Bucky straightened up, offering the lead to Darcy. 

She took it with a smile before clipping the dog up “I’ll see you in an hour, Tony.” And with that, Darcy skipped off. 

Bucky smiled fondly at her back and was about to follow her when he felt Tony’s hand curl around his wrist. 

“She’s beautiful when she’s happy, isn’t she?” Tony said, his voice soft, but there was a slight firmness to it that Bucky wasn’t afraid of, but respected. 

Bucky nodded, not looking at him, but instead out the door that Darcy just left from. “Yes, she is.” 

“If you’re going to do what I think you’re going to do, you’ve got to make sure she’s happy all the time, okay?” He continued, releasing his wrist, but his voice made it clear that Bucky wasn’t to leave “I need you to relay this to Steve too. Tell him that he is my teammate, but if I have to hold Darcy while she cries over something he did again, I will put on the suit and tear him to pieces.” 

“Understood.” Another nod. 

“But I don’t want you to keep her happy because you’re afraid of what somebody else will do to you if you do hurt her, that’s just a side effect-” Tony started, and Bucky cut in. 

“Making her happy makes me happy, Tony.” He said simply “And I know Steve feels the same way.” 

Tony cracked a smile “That’s the spirit.” He patted Bucky on his back “She’s the closest thing to family I’ll ever have, Barnes. I like having her around.” 

“She does have an infectious joy about her.” Bucky agreed, rolling his shoulder to relax. He reminded himself that nobody was going to hurt him, and he fell at ease. 

“Yeah.” Tony nodded “I’m glad you see that.” 

*

“You knew this would happen.” Steve said to Natasha as they rode the quinjet to their destination. “You knew they would fall for eachother.”

 

“Didn’t you?” Natasha smirked, adjusting her weapons belt. 

“No, I didn’t” He chuckled “We’re not all as fast as you, Nat.”

 

“Do you think it’ll work?” She asked. 

Steve shrugged “I have no idea. I mean, I hope it’ll all be okay. But who knows?” 

Natasha tied her hair back out of her eyes “He’s in love with her. Quite deeply too.” 

“I don’t think Darcy’s there yet.” Steve shook his head “But she has feelings for him, I know that much.” 

“You know Darcy better than I do. She doesn’t fall fast, but she falls hard.” She said simply. 

Steve made a face “What do you mean by that?” 

“Well, she wasn’t ready to love you until 9 dates in. And that’s pretty quick, but it was probably speed up because she knew you loved her back.” Natasha elaborated “She wont be ready to love James until she’s sure he loves her too. And when she does, she will be completely in love with him, just as she is completely in love with you.”

“So Bucky should tell her he loves her?” Steve asked slowly. 

Natasha shrugged “Maybe, I don’t know. It might freak her out.” 

“I’m sure it’ll be fine. What’s the worst that could happen?” He adjusted his ear piece so he had a feedback to control. 

“Famous last words, Steve.” Natasha smirked.   
*  
“Bucky?” Darcy said softly as she padded into her apartment. She had worked late, Jane rushing in at the last minute and demanding her help with something. 

“Darce?” He replied, stepping out of the guest bedroom in plaid pajama pants that were bought for him by Clint because he was tired of seeing him walk around Natasha’s place in his underwear. 

Darcy was beginning to feel the sinking feeling of not having Steve with her, knowing his was on the other side of the world doing something dangerous to save lives. 

She was tired and she wanted to be held. not by a strong pair of arms that she could pretend belonged to Steve, but somebody who cared about her, and understood how she was feeling. 

“Feel like cuddling?” She asked hopefully, nodding to her bedroom “I don’t want to be alone, and I like having you in bed with me.” 

He smiled sleepily, nodding “Sure thing, Doll.” Bucky stretched his hand out to her, which she took and lead him into the master bedroom. 

Surprisingly, she didn’t make him take Steve’s side of the bed as she thought her would, instead she laid her head on his pillow. 

“I like to sleep on his side of the bed when he’s gone.” Darcy explained sheepishly as she changed into her bedshorts “I don’t know why. It just helps. And I don’t want you to think that you’re replacing him or anything. I really do want to cuddle with you.” 

“I get it.” Bucky nodded, sinking down into the mattress and opening his arms to her. Darcy rolled over to maker herself the little spoon, and let herself be wrapped in Bucky’s embrace. 

“This will work, wont it? All three of us?” She asked quietly and JARVIS dimmed the lights. 

“I don’t know, Darcy. But I’m willing to try.” He whispered into her hair, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. 

“I really do have feelings for you, Bucky.” Darcy turned her face to look at him, his face just a silhouette in the night. 

“I know, Doll.” He smoothed a hand over her arm “Trust me, life is too short to overthink stuff like this. I’ve almost died too many times to count, so I’m not going to deny myself what makes me happy. And that’s Steve, but it’s you too.” 

She positively beamed at him “You make me happy too.”

Bucky pressed a kiss to her grinning lips “Sleep, Darcy. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

*  
Steve was tired.

The mission wasn’t too draining, or emotionally damaging to anybody, it was just hard work being awake for so long and running back and forth to help hostages.  
Mostly, he just wanted to be home, in his bed, with the two people he loved more than anything in the whole world.

“Here’s your personal items, Captain.” Said one of the agents, placing a small box on his lap as he flew the quinjet home alone. Natasha decided to hang back, do some recon. 

The first thing Steve went to was his phone, switching it on to find three picture messages. Two were from Darcy, one of her and and james, faces smushed together to fit onto the camera, both wearing knock-off Captain America t-Shirts with the caption “We miss you!” 

The second was of Darcy on the floor grinning, while Pasha slobbered all over her. The caption read “Looks like you’ve been replaced.” 

The third was from Clint, and showed Darcy and Bucky curled up on the couch in the common floor of Stark Tower. Darcy was on Bucky’s lap, her face tucked against his neck. Bucky had both his arms around her almost protectively as he slept. The caption was a simple ‘Do these two belong to you? They’re taking up all the room.’ 

Steve’s heart clenched painfully, he missed them both so much. But he was glad they had eachother while he was away. 

*

Bucky was doing the dishes while Darcy showered on the 4th night without Steve. He was tired and his favourite part of the day had become the end of it, when he could crawl into bed with Darcy and hold her and feel her soft skin beneath his hands.

She said it was okay for him to touch her, and vice versa, so Bucky took advantage of the privilege and mapped out every inch of her exposed skin while they lay in bed together. It was almost innocent, but extremely intimate at the same time. He would palm her thighs, while she kissed over the scarred and screwed area where steel met skin on his left shoulder. With every kiss, he began to like his arm more and more. 

Then the door opened, and an exhausted looking Steve stepped through the door. Bucky set the dish down, as Steve dropped his bag and shield. Then they were kissing, and it was soft and gentle, with Steve’s hands curling around Buckys waist and leaning into Bucky’s touch as he combed his fingers through the sandy blonde hair. 

“Miss me?” Steve breathed when he pulled back. 

“Nah, I had Darcy to keep me company.” Bucky smirked. 

As if on cue, Darcy came running out of the bathroom at the sound of Steve’s voice in nothing but one of Bucky’s shirts and ridiculous Iron Man underwear. She seemingly launched herself into Steve’s arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. 

“Hey gorgeous.” He grinned, supporting her with two hands under her backside “God, I missed you.” 

“Missed you too, Steve.” She murmured before lifting her head to kiss him, just as Bucky had. 

Bucky watched with a fond smile, sending Darcy a wink over Steve’s shoulder when she pulled back “You look damn good in my shirt, Doll.” 

“I look good in everything, Bucky.” She giggled and Steve set her down. “Come on, let’s get some sleep. Talk in the morning.” 

“Sleep sounds..amazing actually.” Steve laughed softly, shuffling to the bedroom behind Darcy and in front of Bucky. 

Once they were all changed, the position of the night was Steve slotted in the middle of his lovers. Darcy had one leg swung over his waist with her chest against his arm, while Steve wrapped one arm around Bucky whose head was pillowed against his chest. 

And there, in his bed, in his apartment, with Bucky and Darcy, Steve was home. And he was tired.


	16. Made of Bricks

_Feel like being my date to the Stark Foundation charity ball next weekend? -NR_

_I know two supersoldiers and an archer that might protest, but sure. Why not? -DL_

_Great. Starts at 8. Pick you up at 6 to get ready? -NR_

_Awesome. Jane and I are going shopping for dresses on friday. Want to join us? -DL_

_No thanks. I’ve got an outfit ready. -NR_

The theme of the charity ball was ‘Iron Man & Suits’, meaning guests would have to be dressed in either red and gold, or full black tie. 

There were rules put in place for the guests of the ball. The Avengers were not celebrities, and were not at the ball to be interviewed, and therefore any detail’s of the Superhero’s personal lives discovered at the ball, including their relationships, are not to be shared with the media. All guests had to agree to these terms upon their RSVP, lest they be breaking the ‘Discretion of Protection’ act of 2013. However, that was mainly in place so the many women who have slept with Tony couldn’t step forward and talk about it. 

The boys pouted when they found out about Darcy date with Natasha. 

“She really is trying to steal my girlfriend.” Steve huffed, tugging Darcy into his arms as she cooked dinner for him and Bucky. 

“Damn right. And it’s working.” Bucky smirked, leaning against the doorway. He watched as Darcy wriggled in Steve’s grip as he held her from around the waist from behind. 

“It’s no big deal. Clint won't be arriving until 10, so we will be escorting eachother.” Darcy giggled, swatting Steve’s hands away. 

“In case you haven’t noticed, I’d be more than happy to escort you.” Steve murmured, tucking his face into her neck to nuzzle against the skin there “Bucky would too.” 

“Well now you can escort eachother.” She smiled, turning her head to press a kiss to his nose “And then you can both escort me home.” 

“Fine.” He conceded, letting Darcy go as she finished off the beef stew she was making for them. They alternated who cooked each night, depending on who was at home. Sometimes Steve had mission, and sometimes Bucky needed a few days with Natasha to straighten out his memories, and sometimes Darcy had nights out with Jane or long working hours with Tony. But more often than not, they were all home. 

Bucky decided that, as he had said many times before, life was very, very short. Of course, this was almost hypocritical as he had lived over 100 years. However, his meaning behind it was that as life was short, death was quick. Death was easy. Death had taken him once when he allowed it to, that day on the train when he decided he would sacrifice himself for Steve. With his final thoughts of his love, and his fate accepted, he stepped out from cover to die for Steve. 

He’d never tell Steve that, of course. Never tell him that his final act of free will was to put his life on the line for him. Never. So when he says that life is short, he means it with the conviction of making quick decisions to make oneself happy. 

So when Darcy asked him to join her and Steve’s relationship, in hushed tones the night Steve returned from his mission, Bucky said yes in the blink of an eye. 

And boy, he had never been happier. 

Darcy was a gorgeous thing to love, because she made it worth it. When he touched her, she was warm and soft under his hand and rewarded him with a dazzling smile. Every kiss from her lips was almost familiar, but left him buzzing with a sparkling excitement that he couldn’t contain. 

Watching her interact with Steve was beautiful. He looked at her in a way that he had only ever looked at Bucky, with equal amounts adoration and lust. He liked to hold her, gather her up in his arms and keep her close after a hard day. 

“I’m telling you, Buck. If I’m ever feeling lost, or confused, or frustrated...none of it matters as soon as I’ve got an armful of Darcy. She makes everything better.” Steve told him. And Bucky believed it, because he had felt that way about Steve his whole life. Steve would then tell him that as he felt safe and secure when he had Bucky close by, which was just as important. 

And yet, Bucky had not had sex with Darcy. It hadn’t crossed his mind to ask her, or initiate anything. His mind would wander, sure. In the shower, when watching TV, but never when he was kissing her. Bucky would consider it a crime to think of anything while kissing Darcy that wasn’t to do with how plush her lips were or this inviting warmth of her embrace. 

He wanted to. God, he wanted to be as close to her as he could get and if sex was how to do that then he was all for it. But until Darcy was ready, he was happy to share a bed with her and Steve, and share a life with them. 

Bucky was strangely excited for the ball. He remembered that he always loved to dress up at go out to dances, but he could never convince Steve to join him, but at the ball he would be. He had also been wanting to dance with Darcy, and the event was the perfect place to do so. 

As expected, Steve and Bucky had their suits made by Tony’s personal tailor. Complete with waist coats, jackets and ties, they looked quite the handsome pair when they looked at eachother in the mirror on the night of the ball while Darcy was getting ready with Natasha. 

“Damn, I haven’t felt this good in a suit since…” Bucky trailed off a little, but his smile only grew “Since I joined the army.” 

Steve couldn’t help but grin. There were times that Bucky would wince at his memories, so it was lovely to see him smiling about them. 

“You look great.” He smiled, adjusting Bucky’s tie a little “Darcy’s gunna go weak at the knees.” 

*  
 _The first time Darcy saw Steve in a suit (a real suit, not the one he wore to fight bad guys) was on New Years, a month into their relationship. There was no big party, just the team gathered in Tony’s penthouse to watch the fireworks._

_They all thought it would be fun to dress up, and doing so would give them a chance to get a group picture of them all when they cleaned up._

_Steve wore a dark blue suit, coupled with a thin black tie and a crisp white shirt. He offered to escort Darcy there himself, but Darcy was still living with Jane, and said she would meet him there._

_She wore a cream dress that cinched in at the waist with a gold belt, but then fell down the the floor. Her bright red heels showed when she walked._

_Steve thought she looked like an angel. Gorgeous. Ethereal. He was so damn in love with her and they had only been dating a month._

_It was then that Steve realised he wanted to marry Darcy Lewis. Maybe not right then, as though he was planning to drag her to city hall and put a ring on her finger, but he knew he wanted it. One day, he would marry her, make her his as he was hers._

_However, the look on her face when she saw him in his suit pushed any and all innocent thoughts from his mind. Her cheeks got very pink and she swallowed thickly as her eyes raked down his form. She licked her lips slowly before her mouth curved into a smile that looked like she wanted to eat him alive._

_And boy, did she._

_He looked positively delicious in his suit, maybe even more than he looked naked. (Darcy later shunned herself for thinking so. nothing was better than naked Steve) and she really regretted agreeing to stay all night to watch the fireworks when all she wanted to do was drag Steve home and spend the night making love to him._

_She wanted to spend her life making love to him._

_He sauntered over to her with a confident smirk “You are looking very lovely tonight, Miss Lewis.”_

_“As are you, Mr Rogers.” Darcy replied with a polite nod of her head._

_Steve held out a hand, his smirk widening to a grin when she placed hers in his palm._

_“For the record, you are never allowed to wear a suit ever again.” Darcy murmured into his ear “You look too good, I can’t deal with it.”_

_“Well, now you know how I feel every time I see you.” Steve said as he slid an arm around her waist._

_By the time the fireworks started, Steve and Darcy were already in bed, bodies entwined together after round number 4._

*  
Natasha worked a brush through Darcy’s damp hair “How are things going with the boys?” She asked “It’s been about a month and a half now, right?”

“Good, actually.” Darcy nodded “I mean, it’s almost perfect.” 

Natasha raised an eyebrow at her through the mirror “Almost?” 

Darcy shrugged “That's my own insecurities. I’ve never had anything permanent like this before. But things with Steve and Bucky seems so...solid. I’ve never felt that before.” 

“Do you like it?” The redhead pressed. 

“I love it.” 

Natasha smiled “As long as you’re happy, Darcy.” 

*

The ball is crowded with people, most in blinding shades of red and gold and all itching to talk to the Avengers. 

The team stay together in one way or another. Tony is with Bruce and Pepper, off to the side so Bruce doesn’t get too agitated by the crowds. Thor, Jane, Sam, Steve, and Bucky have made their own little huddle as they wait for Darcy and natasha to arrive. Steve sent her a text to ask where they were, only to receive a reply that they would be fashionably late. 

Natasha stepped in first in a black suit, fitted for her figure with a tie hanging loosely around her neck. She looked gorgeous, and like she could snap somebody’s neck at any moment. Her hair was perfectly curled and framed her face in just the right way. People stared. Natasha grinned before stepping aside and waiting for Darcy who walked in a moment later looking like the literal embodiment of sin. 

Her dress was a dark red, with swirls of gold detailing. It clung to her body, sweeping down each and every lush curve. Steve felt his mouth begin to water a little as he looked at her, while Bucky felt his go dry. Her hair was blown and straightened. Steve liked it best when it fell in her natural curls, but she was beautiful nonetheless. Her heels were golden and so were the bracelets on her wrists, but her lips were the same dark red as her dress. 

Natasha offered Darcy her arm, which the brunette gladly took as they walked into the party together, making their way over to their friends. 

“You two just became the most beautiful women at this party.” Bucky grinned, placing a kiss on both their cheeks. 

“I don’t know about that.” Darcy gushed playfully “I heard Rupaul is here.” 

They all chuckled. Well, all apart from Steve who was still staring with his mouth hanging open. 

“Got something to say, soldier?” She raised an eyebrow at him, still grinning. 

“You look…” Steve began, swallowing thickly “I don’t think you’ll ever stop amazing me with how beautiful you are.” 

“Good, ‘cause you’re stuck with me now.” Darcy said proudly. 

Bucky chuckled a little, then Darcy turned to him “I don’t know why you’re laughing, mister. You’re stuck with me too.” 

“Couldn’t be happier, Darce.” Bucky smiled. 

The night rolled on slowly until even Steve was exhausted. The team all relocated to the upper balcony of the hall, looking down at all the other guests once they had done socialising. 

“How are you doing?” Darcy asked Bucky. 

Steve had taken a position with his back leaning against the banister of the balcony with his arms wrapped around Darcy, who was leaning her back against his chest. His thumbs were rubbing small circles on her hips. 

“I’m good.” Bucky nodded. He was afraid that the amount of people around would freak him out just a little, but with Darcy and Steve by his side it didn’t seem too bad.”I’m just tired” 

“We can go home, if you want.” she suggested. Something inside Bucky fluttered. 

Home, as in their apartment. Darcy and Steve’s apartment. It was his home now too. 

“Okay, Doll.” he grinned “Let’s go home.” 

 

They said their goodbyes and crowded into the car that was provided for them to head back to Stark Tower. Darcy was wedged between the two of them, and they weren’t even trying to keep their hands to themselves. 

“Can’t wait to get you back home, Darce.” Steve murmured into her neck, leaving hot opened-mouthed kisses there “You look so gorgeous, the most beautiful thing on the planet.” 

“Steve..” Darcy breathed, closing her eyes. 

“Isn’t she so stunning, Buck?” The blonde looked up at his other lover, who seemed very interested in the trail Steve’s hand was leading up Darcy’s thigh, mimicking it with his own hand on her other leg.

“Yeah.” Bucky replied, his voice rough “So damned beautiful, kitten.” 

“She purrs just like a kitten, don’t you Darcy?” Steve smirked and, as if to make his point, mouthed along her collarbone, causing Darcy to hum out a soft moan. 

Bucky took to kissing her lips, feeling her moans and purrs as they came. In fact, his lips never left hers as they exited the car, entered the elevator of Stark tower, and returned to their apartment when Steve decided he wanted a taste captured Bucky’s lips while Darcy began to unbutton his shirt. 

“You sure about this, Darcy?” Bucky panted when he and Steve came up for breath while Darcy fought with their ties. 

She looked up with him, her pupils blown wide with lust and her lips kiss-bitten. “Yeah. I’m sure.” She breathed, nodding quickly “Take me to bed, Bucky.” 

He grinned and lifted her into his arms “Anything for you, Doll.” He began to walk towards the bedroom “You gonna join us, Punk?” Bucky called over his shoulder at Steve. 

Steve didn’t need to be told twice.


	17. Click

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait I really wanted to get this done in time for valentines day but here it is I hope you like it.

Their first time together was nothing short of magical. Darcy was sandwiched between the two of them, her back pressed against Steve’s chest as he leant against the headboard, with Bucky above her. He was slow when he pushed into her, bracing himself on Steve’s shoulders. 

Bucky wasn’t as big as Steve down there, Darcy could tell, but that hardly mattered with the way he was holding her, touching her in every way that made her fall apart. She felt a little spoilt to be honest, what with Bucky making love to her from above and Steve whispering sweet nothings into her ear. 

“You two look so beautiful together, Darce.” He murmured, kissing along her neck “I love you so much. You’re so perfect, Doll.” 

Darcy hummed, too blissed out to say anything. 

“Hear that, Buck? She’s purring again.” Steve grinned, lightly scraping his teeth over her shoulder. 

“Loud and clear.” Bucky groaned “God, Darce. So perfect.” 

“And all ours, too.” Steve added, brushing a hand down her side “Isn’t that right, Sweetheart?” 

“Yours.” Darcy keened, breathless “Yours.” 

When they finished with Bucky, Darcy took to riding Steve. She grinned down at him as she did, Bucky watching and busying himself with kissing both of them as to not get aroused again. 

When they were done, they lay in a tangle mess above the sheets. Bucky was in the middle, his right arm tucked under Darcy, with his head pillowed against Steve’s chest. 

“I meant what I said.” Darcy whispered, there was no need to talk any louder as they were both so close “I’m yours. Both of you.” 

Something in Bucky’s chest swelled and he hugged her closer “Well that’s good, because we’re yours too. Aint we, Stevie?” 

“Damn right.” Steve agreed sleepily “And we’re the luckiest guys on earth.” 

Darcy huffed out a small laugh “G’night, boys.” 

“Night, Darce.” they said in unison. 

*

Valentines day rolled around in the blink of an eye. The three of them agreed of one present each, no more, and that they would be ordering in for dinner. 

Bucky had a hard time, because he didn’t know what was considered a good gift for valentines day. He had to call Natalia to take him shopping and select the perfect present for Steve and Darcy. 

“You slept with her, didn’t you?” She asked as they looked through the store. 

Bucky chuckled “You’re lucky none of us are short about that kinda stuff, or I’d tell you to mind your own business.” He pushed a hand through his hair “How’d you know?” 

Natalia shrugged, poking at a fluffy pink teddy bear “You’ve got that same look that Steve got after he first slept with her. She turns people into puppies just by knowing them, but Steve went full lovesick teenager after his first time with her. Now you have too.” 

He scoffed “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“Sure.” She chuckled “C’mon, let’s get you a gift.” 

 

Steve had a hard time because he wanted to buy everything for his lovers. Flowers, balloons, jewelry, bears, chocolates, everything. He had to call Natasha to come to the store and reign him in. When she arrived, he was holding an armful of various pink and red items. Considering the size of his arms, it was quite a large amount. 

She made him leave them all, and the started afresh in a store that was a little bit more tasteful. 

Darcy didn’t have a hard time because a)She knew this decade and b)She knew her boys. Natasha half expected a call from her to come help, but instead received one inviting her to do yoga as she had gotten all her valentines shopping out of the way and had the day off. 

On February 14th, Bucky woke up early to make Steve and Darcy breakfast in bed, only to find the bed half empty and Steve flipping pancakes already. 

“I was going to make pancakes.” Bucky pouted as he padded into the kitchen. Steve was in his usual sweatpants and bare chest combo that he wore around the house because hey, he was allowed to be proud of his body and showed it off to his partners. Bucky wore one of the t-shirts that Darcy bought him and boxer shorts. It was dark red and had the word ‘Harvard’ written across it. When she gave it to him, Bucky protested that he never went to Harvard, to which Darcy told him that wasn’t the point. “I was gonna be all romantic and bring you breakfast in bed.”

Steve chuckled “Guess I beat you to the punch. C’mere.” He lowered the stove and snaked an arm around Bucky’s waist, pulling him in for a deep kiss. “Happy Valentines day.” He mumbled against his lips. 

“Happy Valentines day.” Bucky replied “You big lug.” 

They stared at eachother for a long moment, their eyes sharing the same sentiment without words. 

They finally made it. 

The moment was short lived when Darcy’s muffled voice could be heard from the bedroom “God Fucking Dammit.” 

Her footsteps padded through the apartment until she reached the kitchen, scowling “You assholes, I was mean to wake up early and make you breakfast.” 

“Yeah. Sadly we all had the same idea, kitten.” Bucky smirked, opening one arm to her “Get in here.” 

A smile replaced Darcy’s scowl and she slotted herself in between her boys, humming when they wrapped their arms around her. 

*

They exchanged gifts after breakfast sitting on the floor of their living room once they had all retrieved their gifts from the respective hiding spots. 

Bucky got Steve a set of watercolour paints, saying that he wanted to see what Steve could do with colour, rather than his old worn down pencils. Over his life, Steve had picked up the habit of using a pencil right down to it’s last inch of use. It was probably part of his mindset after growing up on scraps. He also bought him a leather bound notebook, with his initials printed on the front.

He beamed at the gift, giving Bucky a searing kiss in gratitude. 

“Christ, Buck. This is the high end stuff.” Steve gaped. 

“Damn right it is. What else am I gunna spend 70 years of army pension on?” Bucky smiled back before handing Darcy her gift. 

He had bought her bracelet, a silver plated one with a platium miniature replica of Steve’s shield in the middle.

“Oh, Bucky. I love it.” She gushed, putting it on right away. 

He beamed proudly “That’s not even the best part. Here.” Bucky took her hand and pushed the little shield until it clicked open, revealing a little photo of Steve and Bucky together on the balcony of their apartment. Darcy had taken it 2 weeks prior, and said she wished she could keep it with her forever. Now she could. 

Darcy gasped a little “Oh my gosh. It’s beautiful. Thank you, Bucky.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, peppering kisses all over his face. 

“It’s my pleasure, Doll.” he grinned “Now you got us with you wherever you go.” 

“That’s real sweet, Buck.” Steve smiled, patting him on the shoulder. 

Steve went next, eager to give his present out. He bought Bucky a buttersoft black leather jacket. 

“I just saw it and I thought it’d look good on you. I have one like it in brown and I really like the way it looks and Darcy said-” Steve began to ramble, but Bucky cut him off with yet another kiss. 

“I love it.” He muttered against Steve’s lips before pulling back “Christ, Stevie. This is real leather. This musta cost you a boatload.” 

“Kinda. Worth though, right?” Steve asked hopefully. 

“Yeah.” Bucky nodded, before turning to Darcy “Whaddaya think, Dollface?” 

“I think you’ll look super hot in it, Bucky.” She smiled “Love my boys in a leather jacket.” 

“I can tell.” Steve smirked, picking Darcy up with eased and setting her on his lap “Time for your present, Darce.” He handed her a rectangular box “you’re a size six, right?” 

“You got me shoes?” Darcy beamed, only to let out an almost deafening shriek of delight when she opened the box to reveal a pair of glossy cream high heels with bright red bottoms “You bought me Louboutins!” 

“Sure did. Nat said you’d like them.” He grinned, pleased with the reaction. 

“Steve! These are like, crazy expensive. Oh my God.” She was practically buzzing with excitement, it was a beautiful thing to see. Darcy threw herself against Steve, the force causing him to lay back “This is the best valentines day ever! I love you.” Darcy kissed his lips, hard. 

Steve’s hands came up to curl around her waist, holding her to his body as his lips responded eagerly to hers. It was easy for him to get caught up in it, as it was always easy to get caught up in Darcy, and soon his hands were roaming to cover her backside. He groaned against her lips at the feeling of her soft, plush ass beneath his palms. 

“Easy, Tiger.” Bucky teased, chuckling as Darcy rolled of Steve and crawled over to him. 

“And I love you too.” She smiled at him. 

Buck breathed out a long breath. That was it. He had everything that he ever wanted now, as soon as she said that. He looked at Steve to find him wearing the dumbest, biggest grin on his face. 

He turned his attention back to Darcy “I love you too Darcy.” He ky said slowly, taking the time to feel the words on his tongue. 

If it was possible, her smile grew and she pressed a gentle kiss to his lips “Just in case you were unsure.” She said softly “This is your home now, here. With me and Steve. And we’re going to take care of you, because we love you.” 

“Then I guess I just won the lottery, Doll.” Bucky murmured, leaning in for another kiss. 

Darcy reared back, her smile now curved into a smirk “Ah, ah, babe. I’ve still got presents to hand out.” 

“You’re enough of a present already.” He grinned, but let her go. 

“Sap.” Darcy rolled her eyed before pushing a medium sized rectangular box towards Steve. 

He smiled as he undwrapped it, and it took him a second to know what it was. 

“it’s a polaroid camera.” Darcy said quickly “it prints the photo as soon as you take it. And I got you plenty of film for it.” 

“Wow, Darce. That’s great.” Steve grinned. He liked to take pictures of them, they all did, but the idea of having it printed right away was one that got him eager to take photos “I love it, thank you.” 

They take a few minutes setting the camera up, and taking photo’s of Darcy and Bucky on the living room floor with Bucky’s wrapped present between them. 

Steve was glad that he caught the moment Bucky opened his present on camera. 

It was a record player, with a set of speakers that were smaller and lighter than a gramaphone. 

“Oh my God.” he muttered, his eyes wide “Darcy..” 

“We could go shopping for some records later,” Darcy smiled, a little sheepishly “And then we can teach Steve how to dance.”

“Darcy…” Bucky repeated “This is..amazing. Thank you so much.” 

“You’re welcome, Bucky.” 

*

Bucky held Darcy close as they swayed to the music coming from the speakers. They had spent the day looking through record stores to get a reasonable collection. 

“What song is this?” He whispered. Her head was resting against his shoulder, with her hands on his chest. His arms were curled around her. 

“Otis redding.” Darcy replied “For your precious love.” 

“It’s beautiful.” Bucky nodded “just like the gal I’m dancing to it with.” 

Darcy let out a small laugh “You nerd.” 

“Maybe I am I nerd.” he looked down at her with a grin “But you love me, right?” 

“Yes, I do.” She grinned “Christ, how many times do I have to tell you.” 

“Well I’ll be telling you until my last breath, kitten.” Bucky said smugly, spinning them around for a moment to get her giggling. 

“Well as long as you keep saying it, I’ll keep saying it back.” Darcy hummed. 

They heard the click of the camera and the soft whirl of the picture printing, but didn’t move just in case. 

Another click, then they looked up. 

“You gunna give our girl a dance, Steve?” bucky raised an eyebrow at him. 

Instead of doing the expected ‘aw shucks, I can’t dance’ routine that he usually would put across to avoid it, Steve gave a determined nod and stood forward, extending his hand to Darcy. 

She wasted no time in slipping her hand into his and pulling him in close. 

“Bout time danced with me, soldier.” Darcy grinned up at him, standing on his feet partly so they could move together and partly so he wouldn’t step on her toes. They swayed in only the smallest amounts, testing the waters. 

“Can’t believe you never took Darcy dancing, Steve.” Bucky admonished playfully, leaning against the wall to watch them “I taught you better than that.” 

“Could you blame me? Wouldn’t want my girl all bruised up just because I can’t dance.” Steve chuckled “besides, I treated you right, didn’t I Darce?” 

Darcy nodded “Sure did. There are plenty to press up against eachother that isn’t dancing.” She joked “But this is nice.” 

“It is.” Steve nodded. 

Bucky took the opportunity to use the camera that Steve had set down to take a picture of his lovers in their little dance, just as Steve had done to them. 

Click, then a whirl. They didn’t move. Bucky watched as the picture was printed onto a small square piece of paper. The lighting was terrible, the lamp in the corner of the room only lighting behind them, and the sun had already set and left no natural light. But there was an outline, the shape of the two of them in their embrace. Like a silhouette. It was lovely. 

He watched as Steve ducked his head down to press a kiss to Darcy’s temple. 

“Thank you.” Steve murmured “For giving us a home.” 

Bucky grinned at that, because Steve had put all of his feelings in one sentence and it applied to them both. Steve always was good with words. 

“Thank you for giving us the chance to make you happy.” He continued, his fingers drawing light patterns on her back. 

“I am happy.” Came her gentle reply, before she turned her head to look back at Bucky “Thank you both for that.” 

Bucky nodded “Anytime, Darcy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm accepting prompts if you guys have any ideas you'd like me to write. Let me know what you think xo


	18. Memoirs

Spring hung soft in the New York air and Bucky Barnes was a man in love. He was in love with Darcy’s smile, and the way she was loud and unapologetic about who she was. He was in love with Steve, who was and always will be everything to him, and the bravest, sweetest guy he ever knew. 

And they were in love with him, as much as they were with eachother. 

Bucky spent at least 1 night a week at Natasha’s place. He needed it to keep him grounded, lest he get too wrapped up in his daydream of a romance and forget how strong he was, and potentially dangerous. 

Natasha took him on runs, to the gym, anywhere he could let out frustrations and anger until there was nothing left but him, and who he really was. 

He came back after two nights with Natasha in early March to find Steve sitting on the couch, his legs stretched out lazily in front of him, with Darcy straddled across his lap. Nothing particularly sexual was going on between them, but it was the most beautiful thing Bucky had ever seen.

Darcy traced the line of his jaw with the tips of her fingers, all the way up until his cheekbone, where she then traced down towards his lips. 

“If we had kids, what would you call them?” Darcy asked softly. They hadn’t heard Bucky enter yet. 

“I always thought I’d call my first son James.” Steve shrugged “But I can’t now, ‘cause I hate when people call their kids ‘junior’.” 

“You think we’d still live here?” Her hands had moved, up to brush some of his hair back. 

“Sure. It’s the safest place I know.” His hands moved down her thighs to behind her knees slowly. “Our family is here.” 

“Yeah.” Darcy nodded “I want that, you know. A family, kids, marriage. I want that with both of you idiots.” 

Steve gave her a lopsided smile and caught her small hand in his “Why don’t you wear the ring, then?” 

Darcy swallowed thickly as Bucky held his breath. He knew about the ring, knew that Darcy gave it back to Steve when they started all this, knew that they hadn’t spoken about it since.

“Steve..” She breathed out “The first time I saw that ring was when it was on the floor, with it’s box shattered around it. While I was leaving because I hadn’t forgiven you for breaking my heart..” 

Steve’s smile had long since dropped. “Darce..” 

She cut him off “The second time I saw it was when you were handing it to me, saying that we had no future together. And I know you thought you were doing what was right, but that’s the worst thing that has ever happened to me.” 

His hold on her had tightened, as if afraid that she would float away if he kept holding on. 

“It’s such a beautiful ring, baby. And I’ve tried to wear it. I really have.” Darcy ran her thumb over his knuckles “But every time I put it on, I can’t stop thinking about the other times I saw it. And it hurts.” 

“I’ll buy a new one.” Steve said quickly. 

She shook her head “Steve that’s-” 

“I’ll take you shopping. To anywhere you like, and you can pick whatever ring you want. And anything else you want too.” He babbled “Anything you want, sweetheart. Cars, clothes, jewellery-” 

“Steve!” Darcy cupped his face in her hands “This is what I want. I just want you to love me, and not hurt me again.” 

“I wont.” He said firmly “You know I won’t.” 

“Then thats all I need. Stop hating yourself for what happened.” She almost reprimanded “I still need to let go of how I felt then because I feel perfect now. I love you. And I love Bucky.”

Steve pulled her close, so that her head was resting against his shoulder. “Darcy. Sweetheart. I don’t deserve you.” 

“Nobody really deserves anything. But we should at least do what makes us happy.” She smiled “You and Bucky make me happy.” 

“He loves you so much, you know that right?” Steve pressed a warm kiss to her cheek “The only time I’ve ever seen him look at someone the way he looks at you, is the way he looks at me.” His eyes looked right up at Bucky and his lips curled into a smirk. 

_The Bastard_ Bucky thought.  
“Smile, Darcy. We love your smile.” Steve coaxed, tipping her chin up with the tips of his fingers so he could look into her eyes. “So beautiful, Darce.” He lead her into a kiss, slow and deep. His eyes closed. 

Bucky took a step forward, audible. Darcy pulled back and whipped around to face him. She smiled. 

“How long have you been listening?”

“Long enough to feel like shit and then a whole load happy in a matter of minutes” He grinned, walking over and taking a seat on the couch “C’mere.” Bucky pulled her onto his lap, so that her legs were still draped across Steves thighs. 

“Don’t you worry about rings, Doll. Or marriage papers.” Bucky said softly as his thumb traced her lips “All we want is to have our sweet girl in our arms at the end of the night, don’t we Steve?” 

Steve was practically swooning. Bucky always did have a way with words, and Steve always had a thing for Bucky. “Yeah.” he nodded. 

“We’ll always be yours, no matter what happened in the past.” Bucky dropped his head down to place an open-mouthed kiss to her neck “All that matters in the future.” 

Darcy hummed happily in agreement. 

“What’dya say we go to the pictures later and see that movie you wanted to see.” He murmured, his breath hot on her neck “Then Stevie and I’ll cook you a nice dinner while you take a bath. Then we can just relax.” 

“You’re so sweet to me.” Darcy grinned up at him, reaching up to card her fingers through his hair. 

“Just trying to make good memories, Doll.” He smiled lazily back at her before pressing his lips gently to hers. 

Steve watched, enthralled by the way his lovers lips melded together effortlessly and how perfect Darcy looked in Bucky’s arms. 

He placed a gentle hand on her calf and squeezed lightly, just because he liked touching her. There were no hard edges on Darcy, just plush, round curves. 

It wasn’t long before Darcy and placed her small hand over his and pushed it up her leg in a silent yet explicit suggestion. 

“Go ahead, Steve.” Bucky mumbled against her lips “Give our pretty girl what she needs.” 

And he did. Steve took great pleasure in slipping his hand down Darcy’s jeans and working her to a long, dragged out orgasm with his fingers

**  
Bucky and Darcy walked Pasha through central park everyday. He holds Pasha’s leash in one hand, and Darcy’s hand in the other. Darcy talked a lot, and fuck if Bucky didn’t miss the quiet that he used to have, but he wont complain because Darcy likes to talk to him and he wants her to be happy. 

She introduces him to new food almost everyday, just how she did for Steve. They go to the pictures a lot, just the two of them. Steve can’t go out much because of work or in fear of being recognised, but he tries to join them whenever he can. 

They have sex, lots of it. Sometimes it’s just Steve and Darcy, on nights when Bucky is away. Sometimes it’s Steve and Bucky, catching up for time that they missed in the 40’s. Occasionally, it’s just Bucky and Darcy. When Steve is away on missions, they make time together and it’s strange and new and exciting and Bucky loves it. 

When it’s all three of them, it can be messy and awkward and takes a fair share of planning, but more often than not it all works out and they go at it until Darcy calls end because her ‘feeble human body can only take so much’, or so she says. 

They put the record player to use every night, whether it’s to dance to or just to play softly in the background while they eat dinner. Darcy wears her bracelet everywhere, she never takes it off, but is generally too afraid to wear the nice shoes Steve bought her out in fear of messing them up. 

Steve takes pictures with his camera all the time, to the point where it would be irritating if it weren’t for his puppy-like smile whenever a new photo was taken. He puts the paints Bucky bought him to use at least once a week. Usually at sunrise or sunset, because that’s when the world looks best. 

Bucky wears the leather jacket when it’s chilly out, and sometimes even when it’s not just to he can see the way Darcy bites her lower lip when he wears it. 

**

When Darcy tells them about her mother, it’s a rather emotional ordeal. 

“This is her.” She pushed a photo of a woman to them. She’s smiling brightly with sunglasses hiding half her face and the wind whipping through her hair. She appears to be standing on a beach of sorts, wearing a mens flannel shirt over a tank top and denim shorts. 

“Her name was Kate. She’s the most beautiful person I’d ever seen.” Darcy stared at the photo “She was funny and smart and passionate. Men couldn’t help but fall in love with her. And they did, each week it would be a new, rich guy wanting to whisk her off somewhere lavish.” 

“Where did that leave you?” Steve asked 

“Home. In Pennsylvania. It was a small town, my neighbors watched out for me a lot.” Darcy;s head was nodding as she spoke “There was a nice lesbian couple down the street who made me dinner a lot. Mom would come back, stay for about a month or two, but then she’d meet a new guy and run off again.” 

“What a bitch.” Bucky grumbled. 

Darcy huffed out a laugh “I guess so. I mean, she never wanted to be a mother. My dad was just another guy who fell in love with her, I don’t even know who he is. And her mom wouldn’t let her get an abortion, so here I am.” 

“Do you know anything else about your family?” Bucky asked. 

She shook her head “Not my biological family, no. My mom was an only child and I only met my grandma once, in which time she tried to christen me.” Darcy chuckled, but her voice cracked “But I had the people in my town, they were great. I spent most of my time studying, thats how I got into college. Now I have a whole new family.” 

Steve gathered Darcy up into his arms, she curled into his chest “Yes you do, sweetheart. And we’ll never leave you.” 

Bucky carded the fingers of his right hand through her hair “When was the last time you saw your mom?” 

“About 4 years ago. Just after New Mexico. I was freaking out and I wanted to see if she was still...alive, you know?” Darcy sighed “We had dinner. She’s still beautiful. At the time she was in love with a Parisian artist. I don’t know where she is now.” 

“Don’t matter.” Bucky murmured, pressing a kiss to the back of her neck “What matters is that you’re here, with us.” 

“And we love you.” Steve finished. 

“I love you too, guys.” 

**

Tony sat on one of the stools in his workshop, fiddling with the metal plates on his suit to see if he could mimic the ones on Barnes’ arms. 

“Sir.” JARVIS’ smooth voice cut through the silence “The results are back.” 

Tony froze. He didn’t even need to know the results, he knew what they were already. 

“Send them to my pad.” He ordered the AI, walking over to the small screen above a pile of untouched paper work. 

 

He stared at the picture of Darcy lit up in front of him, right next to the words ‘Genetic Match’ . 

Tony sighed and closed his eyes. The worst part was, he wasn’t even surprised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a problem with being waaaay to ambitious and I didn't really know what to do with this so I opened up a whole new storyline


	19. Clues

Tony remembered Kate Lewis. It was hard to forget a girl like her. She was bright, beaming and full of life. He loved her for the three weeks they spent together in malibu. She had a penchant for running around, grinning as she pulled him down to the beach, into the pool, or into bed. Something about her made him believe that they would be together forever. 

Of course, he wouldn’t look at her twice now, not when he had Pepper. 

Kate was the first woman to contact him again with news that she was pregnant, claiming him to be the father. Surprisingly, he didn’t get accused of that often. 

She didn’t want him to see her, she was planning on giving her up for adoption for the first 2 trimesters, but by the 7th month she wanted her, and asked Tony to help out financially. 

He didn’t think it would hurt his bank balance much if he did, so he never demanded a paternity test. How much could one kid cost? He paid the bills on the tiny bungalow they had in their small hick town. Hell, he even subsidised Darcy’s tuition. In return, he got a picture every few years, which he kept hidden away but didn’t hesitate to glance at every now and then. 

She was a successful kid. But it was when she moved into the Tower and became one of his closest friends that he started to get twitchy. 

Darcy practically attracted danger - Well, Thor did, and he just happened to drag her along somehow. Now she was dating 2 supersoldiers with PTSD, one of which could literally kill her with a flick of his shiny metal finger. 

But he wouldn’t. Barnes wouldn’t do that. 

Would he? 

The test didn’t tell him anything he didn’t already know, but it was still strange to have it in writing. 

He didn’t feel anything paternal when he looked at her, and he had no right to. He was only her father biologically. Tony felt no fatherly pride for the smart, funny, beautiful young woman she had become. But he did feel slightly more protective of her. 

He had to tell her. 

**

Sometimes Steve came home from a mission steely eyed and stoic. He’d barely look at either of his lovers, too busy thinking about all the ugliness he’d seen to see the beautiful things standing right in front of him. 

Now that SHIELD had fallen, the Avengers had taken to be more emergency relief than espionage; helping war torn countries and such. 

Bucky could practically see Darcy’s heart twist when she’d call Steve to bed, and he’s respond with a grunt of rejection. It was horrible. And if Steve would even fucking look at her, he’d want to punch himself in the face for making his girl feel like that. Usually, he’d go to sleep quiet, and wake up the next morning to make an apologetic breakfast for the two beautiful brunettes in his bed.

One night, after what seemed to be a really bad mission, Steve wouldn’t say a word at all. He just stared at the TV. 

Darcy watched from the kitchen doorway, nervously chewing at the skin around her fingernails. Bucky sighed and padded over to her, wrapping an arm around her waist to whisper in her ear. 

“Go hold him, Doll.” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple “Steve aint too good with words, but I know he’s never sad when you’re in his arms.” 

Darcy nodded slowly before taking his hand “You come too.” She said before leading him over to the couch. Darcy crawled onto Steve’s lap, and he didn’t stop her, but he didn’t respond either. She pressed a kiss to his cheek, his jaw, and the corner of his mouth, brushing her lips over him gently.

Slowly but surely, Steve’s arms curled around Darcy’s waist, tugging her closer so he could bury her face in her neck. 

Bucky sat beside him and was more than content with just watching to make sure everything was okay. But then Steve leant to the side and burrowed them both into his chest. Bucky wrapped his arm as best he could around Steve’s broad shoulders, pressing a kiss to the tops of both their head. 

They stayed like that for what must’ve been just over an hour. Steve still couldnt talk, but he managed to give them a small smile when they offered to take him to bed, looking them both in the eyes. 

**

Pasha moves in with them. 

It was a no brainer, really. Bucky lived there now, it was Bucky’s dog so it only made sense that he came along too. 

Darcy absolutely loved it, spoiling the loveable lab with toys and a new fluffy bed, she even had a go at baking her own dog treats for him. More often than not, the boys will find Darcy curled up on the couch with Pasha draped across her lap as they watch a movie. Clint visits on weekends. 

Steve takes him on a walk in the morning when he can, jogging him up to Hudson river park and letting him run wild for a bit while Steve does some push-ups. 

Darcy and Bucky take him on their usual lunch-time walk, then in the evenings they all try to walk him together if they can when the evening wind blows a slight chill over the city no matter what the weather. 

Darcy will wear a huge jumper that is probably more fitted to Bucky than her, but Steve thinks she looks cute and as long as she‘s warm he’s happy. The boys have also taken to wearing beanies, partially to combat the cold, partially to hide their identities, but mostly because they kind of look good.

Steve doesn’t shave as often anymore, mostly because one time he came back from a week long mission in the jungle with a layer of scruff around the bottom half of his face, and Bucky and Darcy both dragged him to bed with the hunger of wild animals. When he asked them later what got them so hot and bothered, they replied in unison “The beard”. 

When he does shave, it’s more than likely that Bucky or Darcy will do it for him. He lifts Darcy up onto the counter in the bathroom and hands her the shaving cream and razor. When she first does it, Steve is standing so close and he just can’t resist running his hands over her waist, down her thighs and to the backs of her knees. When he reaches her inner thighs, Darcy scolds that unless he wants to look like Edward scissorhands, he better keep his hands to himself. He doesn’t get the reference, btu he gets the point. 

Bucky shaves him with a straight razor (That Darcy wouldn’t dare put anywhere near Steve’s beautiful face) and brush, they way he was raised to. Steve used to shave him, too. Back in the 40’s when he was a little waif of a thing and could perch himself on Bucky’s lap with no problem and use his steady hands to clean up Bucky’s stubble to keep him looking sharp. 

Bucky shaves himself now. He loves Darcy and Steve, but he doesn’t trust anybody with sharp objects anywhere near him. For their safest more than his. 

**

Darcy’s period is late by 2 weeks when Tony calls her up to the penthouse to talk to her about something. She hasn’t told anybody, not even Steve and Bucky, but she can’t stop herself from looking fondly down at her stomach from time to time. 

She doesn’t even know if she wants a kid, or if her guys wants kids. And lord knows it’s going to be slightly fucked figuring out what to do anyways, regardless of anything because of the whole 2 possible baby-daddy’s thing. But when Darcy pictures holding a small baby in her arms, with blue eyes and a beautiful smile, with Steve and Bucky next to her, she gets a warm feeling in her chest.

“Hey Darce.” Tony smiles, but he looks weary. 

“What’s up bossman?” She grinned back, taking her seat at the bar. 

“I have something really important to tell you.” He says “And you have to promise not to freak out.” 

No matter how hard Darcy tries, she can’t keep that promise.


	20. What they deserve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this is the final chapter to this fic, but I will probably right a sequel about raising the baby ect. I hope you've all enjoyed it!

Her father. 

Tony Stark was her father. It was there, right in front of her. The proof that Tony fucking Stark was her father. 

She felt like she was going to throw up. 

“Darcy, please say something..” Tony pleaded. He expected her to start screaming, but the silence was even worse. 

“Were you the one that sent me gifts on my birthday?” She whispered, staring down at the paper. 

“Only sometimes.” He conceded “I would send you stuff, but mark it as from your mom” 

“I knew she could never afford that Jacket.” Darcy sighed

That Jacket. That lovely grey duffle jacket that her mom had sent her when she started college. The one she wore around London all the time because if was too hot in New Mexico. It was designer, Darcy figured her mom must have re-gifted it after one of her boyfriends gave it to her. 

“I’m sorry, Darcy. I should have told you sooner.” Tony inched closer “It’s just...I really care about you. Not just because you’re my kid. You’re my friend. I just thought you had the right to know.” 

More silence. Darcy felt like she was going to be sick. 

“I have to go.” She said abruptly, standing and heading towards the elevator. 

“Darcy!” Tony called after her, but she was already gone. 

 

As soon as Darcy was back into her apartment, she found herself leaning over the toilet, wrec hing until she threw up. Steve was at the gym, training with Thor, but Bucky was home and he was by her side in a second. 

“Doll, what’s wrong?” He said, kneeling down next to her and rubbing soothing circles on her back. 

“Go away.” Darcy mumbled into the toilet bowl, hiding her face. She just could deal with it. She didn’t even know why she was throwing up. Was it the reveal that Tony was her dad? Was it finding out that her mother never really did care enough to send her all those nice things? Or was it the baby possibly growing inside her. 

She began to sob, leaning her face against the cold porcelain. This was wrong. Everything was wrong. 

“Do you want me to get Steve?” Bucky offered. The guy was like a huge teddy bear. 

“Nuh.” Darcy replied between sniffles. 

“Jane?” He suggested. Jane was good. Sure, she could be stubborn, but she was strong and loyal in a way that reminded him of Steve. She was also one of the only people in the world who understood how much they loved Darcy. Partially because she loved Darcy too, and because Thor adored her in the same way. 

Darcy cringed at the idea of her best friend seeing her like this. “No.” 

“Please, Baby. Let me help you.” Bucky wanted to kiss her, but she did just throw up and her face was in the toilet, that would be kind of gross. “We don’t have to talk. Why don’t we brush your teeth, then share a nice hot bath, hm?”

No talking, and a bath. The idea did sound like what Darcy needed. She gave a tiny nod and a sound of agreement. 

Bucky carefully lifted her up onto the counter by the sink and handed her her toothbrush and some toothpaste. While she busied herself with washing her mouth out, Bucky drew the bath. 

 

**

When Steve came home he found Darcy and Bucky curled up in bed. Bucky was whispering softly in her ear, Darcy was chewing on her lip nervously 

“You guys okay?” He asked, frowning as he made his way over “It’s barely 4, what are you doing in bed?” 

“Sit down, Steve.” Bucky said softly “Darcy needs to talk to us.” 

Steve sat almost immediately, every worst case scenario whizzing through his head. 

“I have two pretty huge pieces of news that you guys should know about. Because they affect you too, I think.” Darcy crawled off Bucky’s lap to sit in between them, her hands covering Steves. “The first thing is that Tony..” She had to pause to take in a big breath “Tony is my father.” 

The boys went rigid. Darcy’s eyes flickered between them both to gauge their reactions. Steve remained looked at her eyes, slack jawed and still. Bucky, on the other hand, was scanning her face and noting all of her and Tony’s common features. 

“I just found out. I’m just as surprised as you are.” She continued. “I don’t think it’ll change much, but it will take some getting used to.” 

Bucky nodded slowly, placing a hand on her back “We’ll be here for your Darce, no matter what.” He looked to Steve “Aren’t we?” 

Steve nodded “Yeah. We will. Of course we will.” He pulled her forward to press a kiss to her forehead “Tony’s a good guy. Nothin’ bad is going to happen.”

“I know.” Darcy sighed “ ‘S just, all these years I figured my mom wasnt completely terrible because she paid for stuff for me. Turns out it was all Tony.” 

“That’s rough, babe.” Steve said softly after a few moments “You should call your mom another time to talk about it.” 

“Why don’t you tell us your other news, Darce.” Bucky suggested, running the backs of his fingers over her arm. “Lighten the mood.” 

Darcy sucked in a deep breath. Depending on the way they looked at it, her next piece of news could very much darken the mood “I think I’m pregnant.” She blurted out. 

Once again, Steve and Bucky fell silent. This time it was Bucky’s mind that went numb while Steve’s whizzed with ideas for baby-names, schools, toys and everything else in between. 

“But I haven’t had a test yet and I don’t know if I want it or if you want it so lets not make any decisions right now.” Darcy rambled. 

Steve’s jaw ticked and Bucky swallowed thickly. 

The three were silent for long time, and it was Bucky that spoke first. 

“I want a kid.” He said finally, looking between his lovers “If you guys don’t, then that’s fine. I just want you to know that I do want that with you guys.” 

Steve and Darcy stared at him for a long moment. 

“Me too.” Steve said finally, looking right at Darcy “I love you. I’ve always wanted a family with you. And to have that with Bucky too. That sounds perfect to me.” 

Darcy felt the weight of their stares on her and she felt a lump forming in her throat “I don’t know.” She whispered, tears filling her eyes “Oh God. I don’t know if I want a baby.”

She could see Steve and Bucky’s hearts break in their eyes. 

“I’m sorry.” She continued, her voice broken. “I love you. And I’m not saying that I don’t want a baby. But I don’t know if I do. I’m sorry.” 

Their arms were wrapped around her in seconds, whispering apologies into her hair. 

“Sorry, Doll.” Bucky murmured “We should have thought about how you feel.”

 

“We’ll do whatever you want. Whatever makes you happy.” Steve cooed. 

It took a few minutes for Darcy to calm down enough that she could speak “I should take a test. Then we can decide.” 

Steve smiled “Good idea, Darce.” 

Bucky nodded in agreement. 

**

Darcy stared down at the little blue cross on the stick in her hand, perched on the side of the bathtub. Positive.

She was pregnant. 

With a baby.

A baby that would learn to walk and call her Mommy and Steve Daddy and Bucky Papa. A baby with beautiful blue eyes and brown or blonde hair. A baby that would grow and run around the tower. A baby that Natasha would teach to stand up for itself, who would laugh at Clint’s jokes. A baby that might call Tony grandpa and climb all over Thor. 

A baby that she wanted. 

Uncertainty gone, Darcy stepped out of the bathroom with a wide smile on her face. 

“I’m pregnant.” She said softly, unable to believe it. 

The boys twitched, but held back themselves from celebrating too much. 

“And do you...want it?” Steve asked slowly.

Darcy nodded “Yeah.” She replied “I do.” 

Steve was up first, sweeping Darcy into his arms and hugging her close, pressing kisses all over her face.. 

“We’re gonna have a baby.” he beamed, spinning her around a little. “A baby. We’re gonna be a family.” The blonde finally planted a kiss on her lips and closed his eyes in bliss, only to pull back suddenly to announce “I’m gonna be a father.” He looked to Bucky “We’re gonna be Dad’s, Bucky.” 

“Yeah.” Bucky breathed, a big, dumb smile on his face. 

Darcy looked over to him “You going to give me a kiss or are you just going to sit there, soldier?” 

He chuckled before standing and placing a hand on the back of her neck, pulling her into a deep kiss. 

They could think about how to tell everyone and the logistics of having three parents later, but for now they would just celebrate the new addition to their family. Because they deserved that much.

**Author's Note:**

> This is greatly inspired by 'Ice and Fire' if you haven't read that you absolutely have to it's the best fic ever written I adore it.


End file.
